Mind the tap...
It's World Water Day
Where there is water, there is life! On this important day, we're sharing some of the IKEA projects, plans and ambitions to safeguard this precious resource – plus a few facts about H₂O that might just surprise you!
For over 20 years, World Water Day has brought attention to the importance of freshwater by advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. At IKEA, we fervently support this important cause – not just today, but all year round.
Our ambition is to be good water stewards and, by 2030, contribute to increasing the availability of clean water in all aspects of our business. We’re working to use water as efficiently as possible and reduce industrial effluents to minimise environmental damage.
The future we all want to be a part of starts today, so take a look at some of the water-conscious projects we’re already working on. For a bit of fun, why not test your water knowledge along the way?
Can you guess?
Two thirds of the world is covered in water, but how much of that is drinkable?
Incorrect
Unfortunately, less than 3% of the water on our planet is drinkable.
However, less than 1% is accessible enough for us to use. This means that the drinkable water we do have access to needs to be managed responsibly and used as sparingly as possible.
The 50L Home Coalition
In 2021, IKEA joined the 50L Home Coalition with the vision to make 50 litres of daily water use per person an aspiration for all. The focus of the 50L Home Coalition is to change the way we use water in cities, looking at products and innovation but also ensuring those innovations are adopted at scale by addressing cultural and regulatory challenges.
Last year, we started the first city pilots in Los Angeles, equipping 30 different homes with water metering devices. Together with pilot sponsors within the coalition, we installed part of the homes with our bestin-class water-saving solutions to evaluate the potential new water-use habits of the families that live in them.
©WWF Pakistan
Partnering for change beyond the value chain
Since 2014, WWF and IKEA have been working together to address water challenges by improving the way in which freshwater use is managed, both within the IKEA supply chain and beyond. One outcome has been the development of a small artificial floating platform for flowering plant species.
The platform is used to clean water for a small village in Khanewal, Punjab, Pakistan. The platform improved the village’s local water source – a pond that was a home to diseases and pests such as mosquitoes with wastewater coming from the village. The free-hanging roots of reed plants filter the water, removing pollutants and microbes. The cleaned water is now being used for irrigation and domestic purposes to support local livelihoods. This nature-based solution is low-cost and low-maintenance, and its scalability is currently being explored.
Can you guess?
Which of these cities is already experiencing freshwater scarcity?
Incorrect
All three cities are facing water shortages already today, and they're not alone.
From the Middle East to Africa to the Americas, cities and states across the globe are having to face the potentiality of running out of freshwater.
Every drop counts
Today, four out of ten IKEA store visitors live in water-scarce regions. We continue to design products that help reduce daily water consumption in the home. The BROGRUND tap is an example of a product that enables customers to consume less water as well as less energy. The integrated cold start function avoids the unnecessary use of hot water for daily activities, like brushing one's teeth, and features a small aerator, reducing water flow while preserving pressure.
Can you guess?
How many litres of water does it take to make a single pair of jeans?
Incorrect
If only! Unfortunately, it takes around 7,500 litres of water to make just one pair of jeans.
Most of that comes from growing the cotton used to make them – a highly-water intensive crop that we use a lot at IKEA too. For bed linen, curtains, sofa covers... you name it! With materials, including cotton, accounting for 74% of our total water consumption at IKEA in FY23, finding more water-efficient ways to make our products is a top priority.
Responsibly-grown cotton
We have long been collaborating with partners to develop cotton farming. Further, we set social and environmental standards for cotton production that aim to use less water, as well as pesticides and fertilisers, while safeguarding decent working conditions. Since 2015, all virgin cotton at IKEA is certified by our approved schemes.
Water recycling in the supply chain
The production of textiles requires a lot of water too. One textile supplier in China has installed a reverse osmosis and evaporator facility. This process is an effective way to purify water. In fact, the overall recycling rate has increased from 74% in FY22 to 96% in FY23, resulting in four million m³ of recycled water being used in the facility. The increased recycling contributes to a 21% reduction in freshwater use compared to FY22. Way to go!
Can you guess?
On average, what percentage of a household's water consumption is used for showering?
Incorrect
While the toilet uses 25% of the average household's overall water use, showering drinks up a whopping 40%!
To inspire more sustainable shower habits, the SVÅGAN water meter was launched in 2023 as a commercial pilot in Spain due to the country’s water scarcity and in Denmark due to the high cost of water in Copenhagen. The product displays shower duration, litres of water consumed and water temperature in an effort to bring awareness to water usage in real-time.
Exploring the shower of tomorrow
Showers don't only send a lot of precious water down the drain – they're often one of a household's biggest guzzlers of energy too. That's why we are curious to explore, try and learn about a recycling shower solution, which focuses on cleaning shower water in a closed-loop system. IKEA is investing in the development of this innovative solution that aims to save up to 80% of water and reduce energy use by up to 70% compared to average showers. We are also working on establishing standards and requirements related to compliance and testing this water recycling shower solution system.
How else are we working to regenerate the world's resources?
Just as we're working to conserve and better utilise water, our efforts also include other important areas like biodiversity and responsible forestry. You can read more about all our work from the past year in the IKEA Sustainability Report FY23.