WWF and IKEA Co-operation on Transportation for people

Sustainable People Transportation

The focus here is on how IKEA could work in order to reduce emissions from customer and co-worker transportation to and from the stores. This will be done though putting more emphasis onto as well as actually employing sustainable transport solutions for people in local markets, in close cooperation with other stakeholders, e.g. local authorities and public transport providers.

Emissions from transportation using fossil fuels have a direct impact on climate change and will put increasing demands and costs on IKEA's business in future. Considering the current IKEA business model, this is not only relevant as to goods transportation but equally to the transportation of millions of people, co-workers as well as customers, to and from the stores. In order to support a sustainability direction, it is important to find sustainable and innovative solutions within this area. A credible and pro-active approach can turn problems into opportunities as well as supporting “car-free” households.

As people transportation is an area very much affected by existing local infrastructure, general mindset and culture as well as available new technology and relevant legislation in this sector, the objective is to carry out pilot project in some different markets, as well as to have a global dimension to the problem when appropriate.

The WWF/IKEA pilot projects on Sustainable People Transportation start in the UK and China, and will be developed further in Poland.