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Trust line

Our reporting channel provided in accordance with Swiss law (Art. 964j ff., Swiss Code of Obligations [CO] and the Swiss Due Diligence Transparency and Reporting Ordinance in relation to Minerals and Metals from Conflict-Affected Areas and Child Labour [DDTrO]) and complaints procedure that complies with due diligence obligations under Swiss law. You can send us your information via the following IKEA reporting channel:

Customer complaints, issues or problems relating to your order and your purchase should only be reported via customer service and will not be dealt with by our Trust line. Many thanks for your understanding.

1. When should I report an incident?

If you suspect:

  • Possible violations of regulations or laws (in particular legal provisions on conflict minerals and child labour as per the Swiss Code of Obligations and Due Diligence Transparency and Reporting Ordinance)
  • Possible violations of occupational health and safety regulations       
  • Possible violations of personal data protection laws
  • Corruption or other criminal offences
  • Possible violations of human and environmental rights
  • Human or environmental risks at IKEA or at a supplier.

 

2.  Can reporting an incident damage my position and reputation?

You can rest assured that compliance with all relevant regulations and laws is extremely important to us. Our success is based on our core values: honesty, respect, fairness, integrity and legal compliance. We assure you that your attempt to uphold these values will in no way harm your position or reputation. We therefore do not accept or tolerate discrimination or penalisation for doing the right thing.

 

3.  What happens after I have reported an incident?

After receipt of your message: 

  • We will confirm that we have received it
  • We will check whether the offence you have reported falls within the scope of the confidentiality and reporting office
  • We will keep in touch with you
  • We will check the validity of your report
  • We ask you for further information, if necessary
  • We take appropriate follow-up measures, and provide you with feedback on the follow-up measures planned or already taken and the reasons for this within three months of confirmation of receipt, provided that this does not jeopardise the ongoing investigations or the rights of the individuals concerned.

 

As follow-up measures, our trust line can specifically:

  • Conduct internal investigations with the employer or the respective organisational unit and contact the individuals and work units concerned
  • Refer you to other competent bodies
  • Discontinue the proceedings due to lack of evidence or for other reasons
  • Hand the case over to our internal investigation’s unit or a competent authority for further investigation.

If your reported incident does not fall under the jurisdiction of the trust line, we will inform you who you can contact instead.

We recommend that you regularly log into the trust line system using your case number, as we may ask you further questions or ask you for important information about the incident you have reported.

 

4. Who will handle my case?

The trust line will involve as few people as possible in the processing of a case. All co-workers assigned to a case are specially trained and bound to confidentiality. These are the only IKEA co-workers who initially have access to the cases reported to the trust line.

Your report and your identity, if you have disclosed it, will be forwarded to those responsible at the trust line. If there are further investigations, this information will also be sent to those responsible for processing your case.

The individuals appointed to carry out further investigations or to take action operate at least one level higher in the organisation than the person who reported the incident.

 

5. Can I provide more information at a later date?

The person responsible at the trust line may have further questions for you. These questions will be stored in the trust line's system for you to answer. You can retrieve them using your case number. You can submit your answers via the same reporting channel as your incident report. To avoid false accusations and corresponding investigations, we advise against anonymous reporting. We recommend that you always provide your first and last name with your incident report. We will take all necessary measures to protect your identity.

 

6. How will I know about the progress of my case?

After you have reported an incident to the trust line, you will be assigned a case number. We will inform you of this case number. You can log into the trust line system at any time to access your report and further communication. The persons responsible at the trust line will confirm receipt of your report, keep you informed of any progress and provide you with feedback on the follow-up measures planned or already taken and the reasons for this within three months of confirmation of receipt, provided that this does not compromise ongoing investigations or the rights of data subjects.

 

7. Who has access to my case and how is it stored?

We take all necessary technical and organisational security measures to protect the confidential data that is communicated to the confidentiality office about a case so that it is not destroyed or manipulated (accidentally or intentionally), lost or accessed by unauthorised persons. Your report will be treated confidentially. This means that we will only forward your reported incident to the necessary extent to unauthorised persons who are obliged to maintain confidentiality.

 

8. Could reporting an incident damage the position and reputation of the person or company involved?

All affected parties are treated fairly and equally. If it has been decided that an investigation is necessary, the individuals or companies concerned will be informed. We give accused individuals and contractual partners the opportunity to present their side of the story. Any consequences will be decided based on facts.

 

9. Protection of personal data

              i.         Who processes your personal data

IKEA AG (hereinafter the “Company” or IKEA), with its registered office at Müslistrasse 16, 8957 Spreitenbach, processes your personal data as the Data Controller in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), and other applicable privacy laws.

For any questions or if you wish to exercise your rights concerning the processing of your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer:

  • By email: [email protected]
  • By post: Müslistrasse 16 8957 Spreitenbach for the attention of the Information Security and Data Privacy Team 

 

              ii.         How we use your personal data and on what basis  

IKEA processes your personal data in the context of its reporting mechanisms, including the trust Line, a confidential online reporting system aimed at allowing individuals to report concerns about practices or actions considered to breach applicable laws, the IKEA Code of Conduct or other internal policies.

This Privacy Notice applies to:

  • Individuals who report concerns (referred to as "whistleblowers").
  • Alleged involved individuals, witnesses and others mentioned in the report.

 

Personal data is processed manually and electronically for the following purposes:

a) Handling reports: Including investigation, corrective measures, case monitoring, anti-retaliation actions and keeping whistleblowers informed of outcomes;

b) Reporting to senior management: providing aggregated and anonymised summaries of reports handled;

c) Legal compliance: fulfilling obligations under applicable laws and regulations.

The whistleblower's identity and any related information are disclosed only with express authorisation unless required by law. If an alleged wrongdoer’s identity needs to be disclosed for investigation purposes, such disclosure will comply with the law.

              iii.         Why the provision of your personal data is required

You may submit reports anonymously or non-anonymously. However, providing your identity and granting authorisation for its disclosure, if necessary, can facilitate thorough investigation and resolution. All personal data and identities remain strictly confidential.

 

              iv.         Which personal data we use

We only process the personal data necessary to achieve the purposes outlined in point ii. This may include:

  • Biographical and identification data.
  • Contact information.
  • Employment data (e.g., timesheets, invoices).
  • Allegation-related details.
  • Documentation, images or communication contents.
  • IT-related data, such as access logs.


We do not request or intend to process sensitive data unless it is directly relevant and provided voluntarily as part of the case being investigated.

              v.         Where we transfer your personal data

IKEA processes your personal data mainly within the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. In limited cases, data may be transferred outside these areas, including to the United States, in compliance with FADP and international agreements. Such transfers are safeguarded by standard contractual clauses, encryption and other technical measures to ensure equivalent protection levels.

              vi.         The rights you can exercise regarding your personal data

You have the following rights under FADP, except where exercising them would compromise whistleblower confidentiality: 

  • Access: Request information on the data we process about you.
  • Rectification: Request corrections to inaccurate data.
  • Erasure: Request deletion of data where legally permissible.
  • Restriction: Limit the processing of your data under certain conditions.
  • Objection: Oppose processing for specific purposes.
  • Data portability: Obtain a copy of your data in a structured format.

 

              vii.         Duration of data storage

Personal data will be processed and stored in both paper and/or digital formats, and safeguarded with appropriate security measures. Data retention will not exceed the period necessary to achieve the purposes for which the data was collected, except where a longer retention period is required to comply with legal obligations, address requests from competent authorities or ensure judicial protection, subject to ordinary statutes of limitation.

Specifically, in alignment with IKEA's data retention guidelines:

  • If the report is deemed inadmissible, personal data will be retained for 30 days from the determination of inadmissibility.
  • If the report is classified as admissible incident, personal data will be retained for 10 years starting from the communication of the final outcome the investigation.

 

Retention may be extended beyond these periods if necessary for claims, litigation, compliance with legal obligations or requests from competent authorities. At the end of the retention period, your personal data will be either permanently deleted or irreversibly anonymised in accordance with IKEA’s data protection policies.

Write a message

After you have clicked on the link above, first select a language. Then you can write your message. Please have a pen and paper ready to note down the case number provided by the system. This number will always direct you back to your case.