Our view on chemical safety
At IKEA, we want to create a better everyday life for the many people – and we believe a safer life is a better life. This is why we have strict chemical requirements to ensure that IKEA products are safe and healthy to use and are produced with care for the environment and the people who make them.
Chemicals are everywhere in all our daily lives and are essential for our health and wellbeing, high living standards and comfort in modern society. They provide products with colour and texture; glues keep them together; paint and other coatings protect from scratches, corrosion, liquids or fire. The list of benefits is long, but chemicals can also have detrimental effects. Careful consideration is necessary to protect people and the environment.
Safety is the starting point
For every product we create, whether made from virgin or recycled material, we consider chemical safety and compliance throughout the entire process. In the transition to a more circular business model, where IKEA is introducing more recycled materials, we pay high attention to chemical safety. Our products and materials are risk assessed and tested – from the materials used to the daily use of the product - and we continuously evaluate our products throughout their lifetime to find opportunities to improve. IKEA products always comply with relevant legislation and applicable standards in the markets where we sell them. If we think it’s necessary, we are willing to go beyond what’s required, applying IKEA requirements which are tougher than those imposed by many authorities.
Continuous improvement is part of our entrepreneurial DNA
We have been proactively restricting the use of potentially harmful chemicals in our supply chain for decades. Notable achievements include reducing formaldehyde emissions from wood-based materials to levels comparable to or below those of natural wood. Our requirements also secure that the coatings and coverings do not contribute with formaldehyde. In addition to formaldehyde emission from raw materials, IKEA also has requirements for formaldehyde, other aldehydes and volatile organic compounds for complete furniture products. In 2006, we banned Bisphenol A (BPA)-containing plastics in children's products and in 2012 in food-contact products. We also phased out PVC (polyvinyl chloride) from most products and today, PVC remains only in some electrical products, and work continues to find replacements.
Other key achievements relate to our efforts to phase out PFAS which is a large family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. During 2026, we phased out non-stick coatings with PTFE from cookware and bakeware. Other milestones in this journey include a complete phase-out from all textiles in 2016 as well as banning PFAS in paper products in 2019, chemical products such as cleaning products and oils in 2020. Going forward, we will continue to ensure that we work towards a safe transition from PFAS to alternative substances or materials.
Collaboration and innovation are key
We are continuously searching for new and innovative ways to improve the IKEA product range and optimise the way we use necessary chemicals. IKEA suppliers and sub-suppliers play a crucial role – not only by making sure IKEA products fulfil our chemical requirements, but also by contributing to improvements with their knowledge and expertise. By working together, we can find science-based ways to substitute or minimise the use of substances and materials that have the potential to cause harm to people or the environment. IKEA requirements are continuously updated ensuring that we act proactively to comply with new legislation.
Better ways to work with chemicals management require collaboration with other companies, suppliers, sub-suppliers and the chemical industry as well as authorities, business organisations and NGOs. This is why we engage in conferences and discussions, sharing strategies and challenges to enable collaboration with the aim of enhancing safety for the many people. Combined with our efforts to steer innovation towards future materials, products and production methods, we can have a positive impact on the use of chemicals.