TWe have a decisive decade ahead of us to make our planet a sustainable place to live. To comply with the 2030 Agenda set by the UN, companies, institutions and governments must get down to work. Together, we can begin to change our way of life with small gestures that will give the planet a new opportunity.

Such as the powerful actions that the model Vanesa Lorenzo, the actresses Esther Acebo and Abril Zamora, the writer Elvira Sastre and the nutritionist and environmental activist Carlos Bruna are already practicing, and have shared in the series Origins. Throughout 11 chapters, the model and activist Jon Kortajarena and 11 of the best-known faces of our country have inspired us with stories of sustainability that have made us understand the importance of our forests, seas, energy, homes and food. And of the urgent need that we start now with our own individual action to achieve a more sustainable planet in just a few years. “We have the opportunity to save the planet. And we will only achieve it with a real change in our way of living ”, says Jon Kortajena in Action, the last of the chapters.

Together with the Director of Sustainability of IKEA in Spain, Mónica Chao, the model and activist puts the final touch on Origen with a meeting in which citizens and companies sit face to face to close an urgent pact for the planet. “Issues related to sustainability tell us about the risks we would face if we did not make sustainable decisions: scarcity of resources, changes in biodioversity and also in ecosystems due to increased temperatures … And this has to do with people and with our well-being, but also with the companies and with what we are going to do in order to continue producing and satisfying the needs of our customers.

For 75 years, IKEA has inspired people, among other things, to lead better and healthier lives. “From our homes we can also change the world. The sum of many small gestures is what will really save this great home called the planet ”, assures the director of Sustainability of IKEA in Spain.

MAKE THE WAY EASY

For this reason, the company wants to help us alleviate concerns and achieve the aspiration of having a better future on the planet we share. And he wishes to accompany us and provide us with a more sustainable home. How?

Since 2015, 100% of its cotton comes from sustainable sources; Since 2017, 97% of its wood comes from more sustainable sources, including recycled and FSC-certified wood; and in 2015 (in 2011 in other countries) it replaced all traditional incandescent bulbs with LED technology, which means energy savings and an environmental impact.

Additionally, IKEA is phasing out all disposable plastic items from its global home decor assortment, and is increasingly using sustainable materials such as bamboo and other natural fibers. All its products are designed with equal quality, functionality, sustainability, design and at an affordable price (what they call “Democratic Design”), always with the aim that they are reusable and can be repaired, resold and recycled, generating the least possible waste. . Since 2001, the company’s code of conduct for suppliers, IWAY, has helped achieve decent jobs in the IKEA supply chain; and works with corporations of artisans, foundations and other companies that address social challenges (in Spain, with Ellas lo Bordan to create employment for women in vulnerable situations).

But its commitments for 2030 are no less ambitious and it is already working so that its products are manufactured using 100% renewable energy (electricity, heating, air conditioning and other fuels), although, by 2025, the goal is to consume in all its buildings 100% renewable electricity.

Also in 2030, 100% of its products will be made with recyclable or renewable materials. For this, IKEA will only use renewable or recycled materials in plastic products. Like PET plastic, the most recycled in the world, or PLA (polylactic acid), which is produced from renewable sources such as corn, sugar beets and sugar cane, instead of using virgin fossil materials.

On the other hand, the company is working towards, by 2025, using 100% electric vehicles or any other solution with zero emissions in all home deliveries, in the 30 countries in which it is present. And there is more: by the end of this year, you will have managed to reduce the amount of food you waste by 50%. And by 2025, 50% of the dishes in your restaurant and 80% of the products in your shop sound will be plant based.