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Guide developed by SEI researchers plays key role in IKEA’s sustainability and climate report

Posted on 15 February 2023

A sustainability and climate report by global retailer IKEA used a landmark guide which was developed by researchers from the Stockholm Environment Institute.

Air pollution in Kaohsiung city, Taiwan. Photo: IKEA

The report included data for IKEA’s air pollution emissions, which followed methods outlined in A Practical Guide For Business: Air Pollutant Emission Assessment.

Strategies

The guide, which was developed by SEI in a project funded by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and Inter IKEA Group, enables private sector companies to estimate the air pollution emissions along their value chains and put in place relevant strategies and mitigation actions.

The guide was launched at COP27 and is endorsed by the ‘Alliance for Clean Air’ of the World Economic Forum.

It is currently being applied by the 16 companies of the Alliance to quantify their value chain air pollutant emissions from key sectors, including electricity generation, transport, industrial processes, agriculture and waste.

In follow-up work, SEI is developing methods to estimate future air pollution emissions and the impact of different mitigation strategies.

Emissions

Johan Kuylenstierna, Research Leader at SEI at York said: “We are delighted to see the inclusion of air pollution emissions in IKEA’s sustainability report, where they have followed the methods provided in the guide developed by the SEI team. 

“This is important because the next step will be to identify ways to reduce emissions and hence apply the power of the private sector in the fight against air pollution.”

Eleni Michalopoulou, Research Associate at SEI at York, added: “Many of the sources of air pollution are also sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Tackling air pollution can deliver multiple benefits for both climate and health, lowering the burden of disease attributable to air pollution as well as contributing to the mitigation of climate change.” 

Key findings for the financial year 2022 (FY22) revealed a reduced climate footprint and significant increase of renewable energy for the Swedish conglomerate. 

Inspire

Andreas Rangel Ahrens, Head of Climate, Inter IKEA Group, said: “Every year, more than 2.4 billion people are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution. 

“There is a strong synergy between reducing GHG emissions and air pollution. With this report, we are taking the lead by being one of the first to disclose the air pollution generated across our value chain.

“Even though more work is needed, we hope that by transparently sharing our findings, we inspire other companies to also address air pollution while taking climate action.”

"Air pollution is deadly for people and for the planet," said Martina Otto, Head of Secretariat, Climate and Clean Air Coalition. "And it often shares the same pollutants and sources as climate change. Integrating our approaches to both problems is a powerful tool to achieving climate and health objectives.

"We’re proud to have sponsored A Practical Guide For Business, which will help the private sector act on air pollution and climate change together. We hope the guide, and IKEA’s leadership, will inspire others to report and act across their supply chains.”

The IKEA Sustainability Report FY22 and IKEA Climate Report FY22 are issued by Inter IKEA Group and cover the collective efforts from the contributors in the IKEA franchise system and value chain.

The IKEA climate footprint in FY22 is estimated to be 25.8 million tonnes of CO2 eq – a decrease in absolute terms of 5% compared to last year, and 12% compared to baseline year FY16.

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