Ikea launches buy back scheme for old furniture
Ikea has launched a new scheme allowing shoppers to trade in their old chairs, shelves, chests of drawers and other furniture for vouchers that they can spend in stores across the UK and Ireland.
Shoppers will receive a voucher worth up to 50% of their furniture's original price, with the exact value calculated according to the condition of the items returned.
The scheme will allow shoppers to earn up to £250, and comes after the original November 2020 launch date was postponed due to second national lockdown.
Furniture will be resold by Ikea through its Circular Hubs, at even more affordable prices, thereby giving a second life to IKEA products, helping to prevent perfectly useable materials from entering landfill unnecessarily
“We hope to make circular consumption mainstream; making it easier for customers to acquire, care for and pass on products in circular ways," said Peter Jelkeby, chief sustainability officer at Ikea UK & Ireland.
“As we move towards our goal of becoming fully circular and climate positive by 2030 we will continue to take bold steps ensuring that, by then, all Ikea products will be made from renewable, recyclable and/or recycled materials; and they will be designed to be re-used, refurbished, re-manufactured or recycled, following circular design principles.”
Products eligible for buy back include dressers; office drawer cabinets, small structures with drawers, display storage and sideboards, bookcases and shelf units, small tables, multimedia furniture, cabinets, dining tables and desks, chairs and stools without upholstery, chests of drawers and children's products, excluding baby items.
Customers wanting to sell back their Ikea furniture can visit IKEA.co.uk and submit items for consideration by filling out a simple online offer request.
The tool will automatically generate a preliminary offer and customers will then be invited to bring the fully assembled product and introductory offer to the returns & exchanges desk in their nearest store, where they will receive an Ikea voucher.
The voucher will have no expiry date to encourage customers to only purchase new items when they really need something.
“Households are connected to around 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions, consuming around a third of the energy and 10% of the water used globally,” Jelkeby continued.
“Therefore, small actions taken within them can make a significant difference, and why Ikea is so committed to making sustainable living more affordable, attractive and accessible.”