Ikea: make innovative use of materials the market norm

Cutting use of plastic requires smarter design and increasing circularity in waste management processes. 

In this podcast with Ian Welsh, Caroline Reid, project manager strategic sustainable development, Ikea, outlines the company’s plastic use and targets to reduce this. She explains the drivers behind them, including a very-aware customer base and strong momentum from the company’s corporate culture.

Reid argues the case for better recycling and waste management processes that make things easier for consumers to help business develop more closed loop processes for plastic and other materials. She says that prolonging product life is a core way to cut resource use, and their design is key to achieving this, such as making products modular so they can be added to or adapted over time.