Ikea to eliminate plastic from consumer packaging by 2028

STOCKHOLM – Ikea has announced plans to phase out plastic from its consumer packaging by the year 2028.

The Swedish furniture giant says it aims to reduce waste and pollution while driving the industry to develop packaging solutions centered around renewable and recycled materials.

“Phasing out plastic in consumer packaging is the next big step on our journey to make packaging solutions more sustainable and support the overall commitment to reduce plastic pollution and develop packaging from renewable and recycled materials,” said Erik Olsen, packaging and identification manager at Ikea of Sweden. “The shift will happen progressively over the coming years, and mainly be focusing on paper as it is both recyclable, renewable, and widely recycled across the world.”

Ikea says packaging is a key component of its business model and an important enabler for affordability, sustainability and safe handling. The furniture giant has already reduced the amount of plastic used in its packaging to less than 10% of the material.

Ikea spends more than $1 billion annually on packaging material. The move away from plastic will occur in steps and require the engineering of new solutions.

“Ingenuity is part of the Ikea heritage, and packaging is by no means an exception in that regard,” said Maja Kjellberg, packaging development leader at Ikea of Sweden. “Shifting away from plastic in our consumer packaging solutions will doubtlessly be a challenging task in the coming years. With this movement we aim to spur packaging innovation and use our size and reach to have a positive impact on the wider industry beyond our supply chain.”