IKEA – is the blue and yellow…greener?

We visited IKEA for my birthday.  We are very engaged homeowners, always trying to make spaces more usable and more funky and more “us”.  We’ve had nightstands on our list for a while, and our use of our living room has recently changed to include movies on a big-screen (I’ll tell you that whole story another time as it is all about home automation), so we needed some footstools and better seating.  Off to IKEA to check out what they have to offer and to indulge in some Swedish meatballs (for my husband) mac-n-cheese (my son) and salmon over salad with krispbread (me).

Every time we go to IKEA I get into a personal debate over their sustainability.  I have read many reviews tearing the company down, saying they encourage cheap purchases for short term use, that half of NYC is entirely redone every few years because of IKEA, that their practices in purchasing from 2^nd and 3^rd world countries is lacking and that even the styles are limiting. I have also seen sustainability reports about how they are reducing waste in packaging and store layouts, installing PV on stores, working to find creative products that use local talent, and re-vamping menus to source non-antibiotic beef and provide vegan options. New menus at IKEA

So is IKEA the devil incarnate or an angel of modern green business.  Neither, I suspect.   Just like all of us, they are on a path to becoming more sustainable in their approaches, and discovering ways to “do well by doing good” which means balancing business, people and the environment.  I bet the balance isn’t always perfect, but even the attempt makes them a damn sight better than many corporations.

Why do I feel they are on a sustainable path, and worthy of my visits?  A couple of reasons.

First, though there is an inescapable mass-market uniformity that comes with such a huge market share, I feel IKEA is a lot like Lego for grownups.  Basically the style and configuration are only limited by your own use of the products.  There are so many IKEA hacks and so many ways to assemble and plan the modules that are the standard IKEA fare that I find the possibilities to be truly unlimited.  Want a room with one modern style – then do that.  Want some chintz and to mix in some of your family antiques? Okay.  How about perfectly toned eclecticism. Fine.

Second, the packaging:  wow.  I cannot rave enough about the flat-pack skills at IKEA.  Each package is tight and solid with thin corrugated cardboard and only a few unrecyclable pieces.  I hope they are working toward eliminated these foam sheets – go with corrugated paper, please, or reed mats.  Buying furniture and bringing it home in or on our car is exceptionally easy.

Finally the assembly.  Our entire kitchen is IKEA cabinets and doors and we easily transported the flat boxes, assembled the cases ourselves, and then had a contractor install them. Easy-peasy. Many people say that IKEA stuff is cheap and it’s hard to move pieces when you move.  I absolutely disagree.

The connection hardware is so very smart, and as long as you don’t foolishly strip the heads when you screw them in, you should easily be able to disassemble and re-locate bookshelves and cabinets. No glue and few, if any, nails.  Other assembled furniture, I would just not take it apart.  Not because it cannot be done but because I wouldn’t take apart any other chair or table. I’d just move it as-is.  As for the cheap part, I think that comes from the paper-board backing on shelves and particle board shelves that can sag when there is a lot of weight on them…we leave off the backing much of the time, and any shelf will sag if you overload it.  So there!

Add to these the idea that people can add style and finesse to their homes inexpensively.  Add also the creative storage that lets people live with more comfort in smaller spaces.  Add to all of that the PV panels, healthier food options and triple bottom line business planning, and I will continue to be an IKEA customer.

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