BONDHOLMEN Table+6 chairs, outdoor, gray stained

Frilandsmuseet is an open-air museum in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen. Here Tina and Kai take regularly strolls to see how the average Scandinavian lived before there were Internet and mobile phones. “The museum is a treasure. There are houses and furniture from times when everything was created from a need and had a purpose. It’s very inspiring,” says Tina.

In the old days, people had the same need as we do today; to work, relax and come together. BONDHOLMEN has generous proportions that make it comfortable to do that for a long time. “We wanted to make it easy to spend time in BONDHOLMEN. Eat, play games, reply to emails, have a cold drink or just talk. Whatever you want to do when you’re in your outdoor space.”

Tina mentions that past generations had a particularly good eye for function; every detail was there for a reason. “People were also very careful with the materials they had and didn’t use more than they needed. Back then, it was called common sense. Today it is a way of being sustainable.” In the BONDHOLMEN series the legs are angled for steadiness, the seats have a small edge in the back to keep cushions in place and the furniture are easy to put away when the outdoor season ends. Every piece of furniture is made of sustainably sourced and high-quality eucalyptus wood. It’s details that make the modern outdoor life a little easier and more sustainable. For Tina and Kai it’s also a tribute to old handicraft and common sense.

Forests contribute to maintaining balance in the atmosphere, purify the air that we breathe and are part of the water cycle. They nourish wildlife biodiversity and provide homes for indigenous communities who depend on forests for their livelihoods. 90% of plant and animal species living on the planet need forests to survive. They provide sources of food, fuel, timber and many other ecosystem services that we rely upon. Sourcing approximately 19 million m3 of roundwood per year from some 50 countries, IKEA has a significant impact on the world’s forests and the timber industry and a huge responsibility to positively influence how wood is sourced. Responsible wood sourcing and forest management ensure that the needs of people dependent on forests are met, that businesses can work sustainably, that forest ecosystems are protected and biodiversity is enhanced.

At IKEA, we work with strict industry standards to promote responsible forestry. We don’t allow any wood in our supply chain from forest areas that are illegal or contain high conservation values or from forest areas with social conflict. Before starting to work with IKEA, suppliers must demonstrate that they meet IKEA critical requirements on wood sourcing. IKEA requires all suppliers to source wood from more sustainable sources (FSC-certified or recycled wood). All suppliers are audited regularly and non-compliant suppliers are required to implement immediate corrective actions. By working together with our suppliers, we are proud to announce that we have reached our more sustainable sources goal, which we set out to achieve by 2020. Today more than 98% of the wood used for IKEA products is either FSC-certified or recycled.

As pressure on the world’s forests and the surrounding eco-systems increases due to unsustainable agriculture, the expansion of infrastructure and illegal logging, it is time to take an even more holistic approach to protect and support these important resources for generations to come. The IKEA Forest Positive Agenda for 2030 set out to improve forest management, enhance biodiversity, mitigate climate change and support the rights and needs of people who depend on forests across the whole supply chain and drive innovation to use wood in even smarter ways. The agenda focuses on three key areas: • Making responsible forest management the norm across the world. • Halting deforestation and reforesting degraded landscapes. • Driving innovation to use wood in smarter ways by designing all products from the very beginning to be reused, refurbished, remanufactured, and eventually recycled.

For many years, IKEA has partnered with businesses, governments, social groups and non-governmental organisations to fight forest degradation and deforestation and increase the volume and availability of wood from responsibly managed forests both for our own supply chain and beyond. We are on a journey to improve global forest management and make responsible wood sourcing the industry standard, contributing to building resilient forest landscapes and improve biodiversity.