IKEA, the Swedish home furnishing company which has been sourcing from India for more than 30 years, is gearing to open its first store in Hyderabad.
IKEA is working on three areas of sustainable growth — energy- and water-efficient stores, diversity, and inclusion. Since they a lot of wood sourced legally from forest departments and farmers.
The company has also reached out to thousands of farmers for sustainable products and have partnered with WWF and are working on minimising the wood use in product manufacturing.
IKEA is investing more on building sustainable stores across the world.
The lighting has been opted for the rooftop and are looking at minimising water use, re-using water for the garden or toilets. Last year, 91 per cent of global waste was recycled and energy recovered.
In Hyderabad, they plan to make sure there is as little food waste as possible. When there is food waste they will compost it and have a programme together with farmers who are growing food organically.
Another of their sustainability initiatives is to enter in long-term partnerships with suppliers and service providers for furnishing, food, transport, waste management. Plus encourage social entrepreneurs in India and offer them commercial opportunities, especially for women in rural areas.