Wood and forestry
We love working with wood. It’s a fantastic material: beautiful, durable and long-lasting. And it can be used in lots of different ways. On top of that, it’s renewable and recyclable and, when it comes from responsibly managed forests, can help mitigate climate change. It’s also part of our Scandinavian design heritage and has always played a central role in the IKEA range of home furnishing products. After all, IKEA was born in the forests of southern Sweden. You might even say that the IKEA story was built on a foundation made of wood.
“Our forests are mankind’s greatest asset.”
– Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA founder
Forests are critical for life on our planet supporting the climate, biodiversity, health, water and livelihoods. They purify the air that we breathe, help maintain balance in the atmosphere and provide shelter to plants and wildlife. These vital ecosystems clean the water that we drink and provide sources of food, fuel and timber. Hundreds of millions of people living close to or in the forest depend heavily on them for their livelihoods and many millions more work within the forestry sector.
The wood we use
The wood used in IKEA products comes from many locations around the world. Below you can learn where it grows and how much we use, as well as the types of wood our suppliers source. You can also find out how we make sure it comes from responsibly managed forests. Approximately 15% of our total wood use in FY22 was recycled wood.
Is wood a sustainable material?
Wood is a renewable resource that can be recycled, but that’s not enough for us to consider it a sustainable material. Here you can find out the other conditions that have to be met and how responsible forest management can play a role in mitigating climate change.
Design and innovation
One of the wonderful things about wood is that there are so many ways you can use it. We’re always looking for smarter, more efficient ways to make the most of the wood we use and lead development in the home furnishing industry.
Going beyond our business
As one of the leading wood users in the retail sector, we believe in using our size and global reach to work beyond our supply chain to positively influence, or even transform, the forestry industry.