If you have IKEA furniture that you’ve grown tired of, you now have an alternative beyond posting it on Craig’s List or dumping it. So long as you live in one of the designated 27 countries, which does not include the US now – you can “sell it” to IKEA for a voucher to be used toward a new purchase.
AP news reported that IKEA just announced that it will offer to buy back its furniture to do its part for the “circular economy.” It’s billing it as a Black Friday event, though the dates extend from November 24 to December 3.
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That doesn’t mean that this is only a short-term gimmick, though. The company truly is committed to the value of sustainability.
As FastCompany reported last year, IKEA has been laying the groundwork to associate its brand with sustainability. It noted:
“The traditional way of manufacturing – extracting resources, making products, and selling them to consumers who ultimately put them in landfills – no longer makes sense for the retailer, which recognizes that it faces a squeeze on raw materials as the global population grows and more people want to buy its products.”
Accordingly, this step makes sense.
The AP article quotes Pia Heidenmark Cook, the group’s chief sustainability office’s explanation: “A circular economy can only be achieved through investment and collaboration with customers, other businesses, local communities and governments, so we can eradicate waste and create a cycle of repair, reuse, refurbishment and recycling.”
As we previously reported, IKEA has plans to open a second-hand store near Stockholm within the year. It also plans to have places in all its stores where people can bring used furniture to sell and make purchases of “repaired or refurbished furniture.”
In the past, garage sales or thrift shops served as the medium for recycled. But, as we saw in The RaaS Trend Expands With Gap, today’s generation is finding new solutions to upholding sustainability and the value of thrift.
