What, IKEA is selling used furniture? I was taken aback for a few reasons: I did not know anyone bought used IKEA furniture; it was surprising that IKEA furniture lasted long enough to transfer to a new owner; and the whole point of purchasing furniture from the big blue and yellow store was to have that sleek modern furniture for a low price, with the added bonus of a lunch at the famous IKEA Café, while hoping that no one you know would see you there.
IKEA has received a fair share of criticism over the years, but there is evidence that the furniture giant undertaking
improvements on the sustainability front. The company has tinkered with renewable energy, is
phasing out flame retardants in its furniture, and in Sweden it is making a counterintuitive business move: customers in its home country can now sell the store’s used furniture on IKEA’s Swedish site.
Peter Agnefäll, CEO of
IKEA Sweden, stated that the
launch of the used furniture marketplace was a step in proving that IKEA is dedicated to environmental stewardship. Members of the company’s customer loyalty program, IKEA Family, can post and sell their items for free. Membership, after all, is free, and to that end, Agnefäll says the company does not expect to make any money from this service. He also expects the program to take some time, but in the long run, IKEA does not expect its sales to suffer. At the same time, he dismissed any assertions that IKEA was trying to establish a foothold in the second-hand goods industry--a valid concern to some after last year, when the company had a naming rights issue with a used furniture clearinghouse, ILoveIkea.se. After IKEA took legal action, the site changed its name to
Billyandfriends.se.
The site launched last weekend while IKEA’s Sweden locations hosted flea markets at the stores’ parking lots. For now IKEA is only offering the online swap meet in Sweden, but if the service catches on,
other countries could see a similar online service in the future. The move is a bold one for IKEA, and for consumers, a smart one. With all the talk about eco-friendly furniture and other products with a “sustainability” stamp, there is one fact that is true of many products. Whether the item is a pair of jeans, sofa, car, or house, the most eco-friendly option is often the one that has already been manufactured or built.
About The Author
Leon Kaye
Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division,
GGP Media.
Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event.
His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
He writes for San Francisco-based
Triple Pundit,
Inhabitat and now
The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's
Architect Magazine.
Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.
What, IKEA is selling used furniture? I was taken aback for a few reasons: I did not know anyone bought used IKEA furniture; it was surprising that IKEA furniture lasted long enough to transfer to a new owner; and the whole point of purchasing furniture from the big blue and yellow store was to have that sleek modern furniture for a low price, with the added bonus of a lunch at the famous IKEA Café, while hoping that no one you know would see you there.
IKEA has received a fair share of criticism over the years, but there is evidence that the furniture giant undertaking improvements on the sustainability front. The company has tinkered with renewable energy, is phasing out flame retardants in its furniture, and in Sweden it is making a counterintuitive business move: customers in its home country can now sell the store’s used furniture on IKEA’s Swedish site.
Peter Agnefäll, CEO of IKEA Sweden, stated that the launch of the used furniture marketplace was a step in proving that IKEA is dedicated to environmental stewardship. Members of the company’s customer loyalty program, IKEA Family, can post and sell their items for free. Membership, after all, is free, and to that end, Agnefäll says the company does not expect to make any money from this service. He also expects the program to take some time, but in the long run, IKEA does not expect its sales to suffer. At the same time, he dismissed any assertions that IKEA was trying to establish a foothold in the second-hand goods industry--a valid concern to some after last year, when the company had a naming rights issue with a used furniture clearinghouse, ILoveIkea.se. After IKEA took legal action, the site changed its name to Billyandfriends.se.
The site launched last weekend while IKEA’s Sweden locations hosted flea markets at the stores’ parking lots. For now IKEA is only offering the online swap meet in Sweden, but if the service catches on, other countries could see a similar online service in the future. The move is a bold one for IKEA, and for consumers, a smart one. With all the talk about eco-friendly furniture and other products with a “sustainability” stamp, there is one fact that is true of many products. Whether the item is a pair of jeans, sofa, car, or house, the most eco-friendly option is often the one that has already been manufactured or built.
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