Ikea has made steps toward reducing the environmental impact of its viscose supply for home textiles by joining the CanopyStyle initiative.
Canopy—a global environmental nonprofit focused on protecting forests, particularly ancient and endangered forests—selected Ikea based on its commitment to source viscose for its home textiles only from producers with forest-friendly practices.
Viscose is made primarily using wood pulp or sometimes bamboo pulp, which is chemically converted into a soluble compound. The compound is then dissolved and forced through a spinneret to produce chemically solidified filaments that create nearly pure cellulose fibers.
“We are thrilled to have the globally-iconic company Ikea join Canopy and commit to forest protection as part of their textile sourcing practices,” said Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s executive director. “Our work with IKEA heralds a new era for the lower-carbon and forest-friendly sourcing of viscose for home products and furnishings. It will allow all of us to sleep more comfortably with vital forests kept out of the supply and Next Gen alternatives scaled in our bed sheets and beyond.”
Ancient and endangered forests are home to ecosystems that account for much of the world’s life on land and haven proven highly effective at capturing and storing carbon.
Over the past few years, Ikea has introduced a number of new programs in an effort to improve its sustainability. The company recently released its 2022 climate and sustainability reports, which outlined how the retailer reduced its climate footprint by 5 percent in fiscal 2022, to 25.8 million tons of CO2eq. That adds up to a 12 percent decrease since fiscal 2016.
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“At Ikea, we are guided by our forest agenda and want to ramp up our work to further enhance biodiversity, mitigate climate change and drive innovation to use wood in even smarter ways – as the pressure on the world’s forests continues to grow,” said Lena Bischoff, material and innovation area manager, Inter Ikea Group. “The home textiles sector needs to step-up and ensure that the forest-derived textiles, like viscose and lyocell, only come from responsibly managed forests, and make a shift towards lower-impact alternatives.”