Cotton is a soft, natural material that breathes, absorbs moisture and feels comfortable against your skin. Also, our cotton is sustainably grown. So you can sleep well – with a clean conscience.
Article Number904.824.62SustainabilityPeople and planet
Sustainable life at home
Cotton that’s better for everyone
Cotton is loved by everyone since it is a durable and soft natural material that breathes. To care for both the environment and people, we only use cotton from more sustainable sources, which means that less water, fertilisers and pesticides are needed, while growers see higher profits. But we don’t stop there. We are constantly developing new methods to make the world we leave for our children even better.
Energy and resources
Saving on our most valuable resource - water
DVALA bed linen in pure cotton breathes and feels comfortable against your skin – and the soft pale shades of beige, pink and blue are made with a new dyeing technique that uses pigment colours. The technique saves on chemicals, energy and water – in fact, we’re saving about 237,250,000 litres of precious water per year. You can sleep and have peace of mind knowing we are constantly looking for new ways to reduce the environmental footprint we leave behind.
Our take on cotton
We use cotton in many of our products, from sofas and cushions to bed linen and mattresses. It is a soft, durable and renewable fibre that breathes and is good at absorbing moisture. All these great qualities make cotton one of our most important materials, but it isn’t without its challenges, much having to do with conventional farming methods that negatively impact the environment and poor working conditions for farmers. With our size and production volumes, we want to drive change in the cotton industry.
Working together to drive change
Each year, IKEA uses around 0.5 percent of all cotton grown around the world. This may not seem like a lot, but the number is big enough to drive change in the industry. For many years, we have been working with partners and stakeholders globally to transform conventional large-scale cotton farming and set social and environmental standards for cotton production. As an example, we helped set up the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) who runs the world’s largest cotton sustainability programme. BCI exists to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future. Today, more than 110,000 farmers have adopted more sustainable farming practices within IKEA projects.
Ensuring compliance throughout the value chain
All IKEA products are produced in accordance with the IKEA IWAY Standard, our Supplier Code of Conduct. It sets out the minimum environmental and social standards expected from our suppliers, including compliance with local laws. We do not accept any form of forced labour, child labour or treatments in breach of our supply chain requirements. Our cotton teams across the globe ensure that all cotton used in IKEA products meets the demands of compliance in our supply chain. By having teams on the ground in areas where it has previously been challenging to work responsibly, we can challenge the traditional ways of working and improve the industry. If we discover that we are acting in places where we cannot ensure our requirements are being met, we follow-up on the ground and drive change.
Material
What is cotton?
Cotton is one of the world's most appreciated and used natural fibres. Textiles in cotton are soft, hardwearing and can be washed at high temperatures. They are also good at breathing and absorbing moisture – making them pleasant to wear close to the body. Today at IKEA we use more and more recycled cotton and strive to make sure that all the new cotton we use has been grown and produced with less and less amounts of pesticides, fertilisers and water.