IKEA products must be manufactured under acceptable working conditions by suppliers who take responsibility for the environment. IKEA is a production-oriented retailing company. By being on site and conducting responsible business, IKEA contributes to better manufacturing and working conditions for suppliers and their workers. IKEA wants its suppliers to be long-term partners, and we support them in their work to fulfill and maintain the requirements stated in our code of conduct.
Our code of conduct, IWAY IKEA's code of conduct, The IKEA Way on Purchasing Home Furnishing Products (IWAY), defines what suppliers can expect from IKEA and specifies what IKEA requires from its suppliers. It is based on international conventions and declarations and includes provisions based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Labour Organisation Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998), and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992).
It covers working conditions, the prevention of child labor, the environment, responsible forestry management and more. Suppliers are responsible for communicating the content of the IKEA code of conduct to co-workers and sub-contractors and ensuring that all required measures are implemented at their own operations.
Ensuring high standards IKEA trading service offices are responsible for the implementation and follow-up of our code of conduct, and we have 70 specially trained auditors who audit suppliers. The Compliance and Monitoring Group at IKEA is responsible for ensuring that the same audit criteria are followed throughout IKEA. Third-party auditors such as KPMG, Intertek Testing Services and PricewaterhouseCoopers participate to verify IKEA working methods and audit results. These third-party auditors also carry out their own audits at IKEA suppliers.
Preventing child labor Child labor exists in countries where IKEA products are manufactured. IKEA does not accept child labour at our suppliers or their sub-contractors. We work actively to prevent child labor, with the aim always to act in the best interests of the child. Child labor is a complex issue - developing sustainable solutions requires many parties to work together to tackle the root causes of child labor.
Responsibly managed forests At IKEA we believe that wood is an excellent material from a quality and environmental perspective, as long as it is legally produced and comes from responsibly managed forests. The IKEA Group's forestry specialists work in the field, in key wood-sourcing regions, to support business development towards the long-term goal of sourcing all wood in the IKEA range from forests certified as responsibly managed.
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