Water innovation at IKEA
We're all completely dependent on fresh water, an increasingly scarce resource. That's why IKEA aims to reduce use, looking at everything from sourcing and production of our products to how they are used by our customers at home. Ready to learn more about water innovation from some of our experts? Then let’s dive in!
When you wake up in the morning, stretch your legs and head off to the bathroom for a shower or to brush your teeth, you may have a lot on your mind. Perhaps you’re thinking about the tasks for the day ahead, or what to have for breakfast. What you’re probably not thinking about is how your tap was designed, or how your shower pressure works. Well, that’s at least the hope of IKEA Innovation Developer Tobias Svanberg and Product Development Engineer René Marienfeld!
While their teams take years to design and develop IKEA water products, one of the many aims is that they seamlessly integrate into your life at home. This goal gets trickier with water-efficient products that work a bit differently from what people may be used to, but as water scarcity becomes a growing issue across the globe, the need for such solutions only becomes more pressing. Let’s take a look at how these everyday products are thought up, designed and made at IKEA.
At IKEA, we’re in the business of problem-solving, but before we can come up with answers, we need to ask a lot of questions. What is the water situation like in our many markets across the globe? How do people use water differently or efficiently – especially in places with water stress, water scarcity, or water pollution? These are the questions that have occupied Innovation Developer Tobias Svanberg for the past few years, fuelling the work he does with his team to develop new ideas to both inspire and improve water efficiency in the home.
“Failure is a natural part of the early stages of product innovation,” says Tobias. "There are stupid ideas, crazy ideas, really bad ideas, and some really, really good ideas. These are the ones that make it through concept development into product development.”
The first water product that made it through innovation development and onto the store floor was the ÅBÄCKEN water nozzle. This smart accessory can fit on most standard bathroom taps and, through its two settings – mist and spray – helps customers dramatically reduce their washbasin water consumption. “The innovation came from a small Stockholm-based startup called Altered,” says Tobias. “We collaborated with them to convert their idea and innovation into an IKEA product.” The journey of taking that first handmade prototype to market was far longer than originally projected. “We vastly underestimated how long it would take. I think it took us at least three times longer than we had anticipated,” says Tobias.
All the time and effort has been worth it. Since joining the range, 500,000 ÅBÄCKEN nozzles have been sold across the world, and at IKEA, water innovation and development has become a far bigger part of the business. But a lot goes into each and every product between its innovation and hitting the shelves. It’s time to take a look at how taps and showers are developed and put to the test in our state-of-the-art test lab!
As a Product Development Engineer, René Marienfeld works as technical lead for projects dedicated to developing new water products and solutions. While his team sit with a lot of knowledge, they work extremely closely with their suppliers – forming a deeply collaborative relationship from early on in the development process. “When it comes to making our products more sustainable, sometimes our team brings ideas to our suppliers, and sometimes they approach us with solutions,” says René. “I must say it’s not only an efficient way of working – it's also simply a lot of fun.”
René in the IKEA water test lab.
A large part of product development involves testing products in the IKEA water test lab. When René first joined the team a decade ago, the test lab was quite a simple space. Today, it is capable of everything his team needs and more – from endurance testing to flow rate testing; even destructive testing, which involves putting the product on the test bench and running it until it breaks. “A robot arm simulates the use of the product in daily operation. Then we run it for the number of cycles that represent our 10-year guarantee. That’s the official expectation for the products. Then the unofficial expectation from us is that they last much longer than 10 years, so we test for that, too.”
The testing doesn’t end with us, of course. Before any product is approved, it must also be tested by certifiers and third-party test labs to ensure long-lasting quality and full compliance with all requirements.
Innovation, development, testing and certification are all important steps in bringing a new tap or shower to our customers. Still, when it comes to water-efficient products that may work differently from those people are used to, we need to ensure that what we have developed is so irresistible that people will welcome the change.
Tobias testing products from the BERGVATTNET collection of water-efficient products.
“We want our products to meet the customers’ preferences for function, style and expression – fitting seamlessly into their daily life, and supporting a more sustainable and comfortable daily life, without disruption,” says René. “Sometimes this means that customers have to get used to something new, such as a new function or a change in water flow. But whatever this innovation may be, it needs to work with the user's natural behaviours and expectations. From curiosity about something new, to embracing it, to the realisation that they had been missing out without it before.”
The new BERGVATTNET collection is a perfect example of striking the fine balance between creating something new and irresistible, developed to reduce water-flow rates, monitor consumption and collect water that would otherwise go to waste. The simple and affordable products have the power to turn a more water-efficient everyday life into routine.
“In Portugal and Spain, many households have a shower bucket standing in their shower to collect shower water,” says Tobias. “That's a really simple, brilliant idea.” It was this insight that led to the development of the BERGVATTNET auto diverter and bucket. The auto diverter automatically directs water below 32°C into the BERGVATTNET bucket and switches to the hand shower once the water gets warm enough for you to enjoy your shower. Instead of going down the drain, the water can be saved and used to water plants, flush the toilet, clean the floors or whatever your heart desires!
The collection has a number of products that nudge bathers into using less water every day. The BERGVATTNET digital water meter keeps track of how long you shower, at what temperature, and how much water you use. Smaller nozzles on the BERGVATTNET hand shower reduce the flow rate, making showers more water-efficient. “These products may look different and feel different, but they do the same job, while using less water,” says René.
So, where do we go next? Where lies the greatest potential for a significant shift in our water consumption? Tobias and René share an answer: the reuse and recycling of water. “We are literally flushing drinkable, mineral water down the toilet,” says Tobias. “There needs to be a different, better solution.” Where will IKEA fit into that picture? That remains to be seen. What we do know for sure is that we will keep innovating and developing products that inspire and enable water-efficient living at home.
Are you looking for ways to use less water in your household? Then why not jump in the shower with the BERGVATTNET collection: a functional, fun, affordable and ever-so efficient addition to any home! If BERGVATTNET isn't available in your market, make a start with an ÅBÄCKEN nozzle or other handy water products.
