Ikea is about to test, starting from Switzerland, the furniture rental service in the name of the circular economy, with the aim of extending the life cycle of the products that can be rented and returned and then sold as used.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Ikea is about to test, starting from Switzerland, the furniture rental service in the name of the circular economy, with the aim of extending the life cycle of the products that can be rented and returned and then sold as used.
The Swedish furniture giant that is affordable for any wallet, is now about to launch a furniture leasing service as part of its strategy to build a more environmentally friendly business. Initially, the lease will be limited to office furniture such as chairs and desks and tested in the Swiss market, with the intention of extending it to kitchens and home furnishings as well as in other countries. All with the aim of extending the life cycle of the products.
The new business, already leaked in recent months, but of which all the details were still missing, was now announced in an interview with the Financial Times where a company spokesperson said:
“We have an ambition to inspire and empower people to play an active role in making the circular economy a reality, which we can support by developing new ways for people to purchase, curate and pass on products. In some markets, such as Switzerland, we are exploring and testing potential solutions and we have a pilot project to examine furniture rental, but it is still too early to confirm exactly what it will be like. "
Even if all the details are not yet clear, what is certain is that, exactly as is the case now for cars, once the rental period is over, the furniture will be returned and more can be rented. The returned furniture would thus be refurbished and resold as “used”, thus extending its life cycle. We will start with office furniture, and then extend the service to private individuals, especially kitchens that are well suited to this foruma, as stated by Torbjorn Lööf, managing director of Inter Ikea, which owns the Ikea brand:
“It could be said that leasing is another way to finance a kitchen. When this circular model is up and running, we have a much greater interest not just in selling a product, but in seeing what happens with it and how the consumer takes care of it "
This new leasing strategy is part of the Swedish giant's broader effort to design and sell goods that can be repaired, reused, recycled or resold, and to promote services that extend the life of a product. In this sense, Ikea is also evaluating the opportunity to launch its own spare parts business so that customers can replace components, such as screws or hinges, for furniture no longer in stock in stores. Each store now has repair and repackaging facilities so that items damaged in transit can be sold and not wasted. In addition, some types of used furniture can already be returned to UK stores for resale or donation to charity.
On the sustainability front, it should also be remembered that the company has invested over 1,7 billion euros in renewable energy between wind farms and solar roofs and is committed to sourcing 100% of the wood and paper used from more sustainable sources by 2020 as well as to abandon fossil fuels by 2030.
The watchword, therefore, is to extend the life cycle of products: a great challenge for a brand that has always been appreciated for its low price and design, but which in terms of “durability” has also often been the object of ridicule.
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Simona Falasca
