KURA Reversible bed, white/pine, Twin

The most important things for a children's bed is that it's comfortable and safe. It's a plus if it can change as the child grows. But the goal for KURA was greater than that, explains designer Tina Christensen. "We really wanted it to fall in line with what children want ― that it could be a place to play and be used as the child's own nook."

KURA was given a reversible construction and over the years we've developed various tents that can be fixed to the bed frame and which transform the bed into a house, a tree house or a radiant starry sky. KURA is also a constant source of stimulation for children's imaginations and creativity ― families create their own solutions by using colours and decorations. This is something that Tina likes. "Sometimes I search online for pictures of KURA and find the most fantastic solutions", says Tina. "It's exciting that it continues to develop."

Vera, who lives in Älmhult, Sweden, has a room which is quite small and narrow, so her parents chose KURA to maximize the room's space. At first, Vera slept on the bottom, but when she turned six, the family turned the bed over to transform it into a loft bed with secure edges and a play area underneath. KURA is lower than a common bunk bed. This makes it a little safer for a 6-year-old and all parents can reach up to say good night. When it's time for Vera to be tucked in, her mother or father usually crawl up next to her for story time. "Then we each have a torch that we turn on and read. It's really cozy", Vera says smiling.

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.