IKEA has some pretty ambitious goals when it comes to sustainability. The furniture and home goods chain has a plan to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2025 and has said the company will be climate positive by 2030.
Jennifer Keesson, IKEA's U.S. sustainability manager, said the company's goals aim to protect both the planet and people.
"Our overall goal is to become climate positive and circular by 2030 and a huge key aspect to that is investing in renewable energy such as wind and solar," she told Cheddar.
Ninety percent of IKEA's U.S. locations have already installed solar panels on the roofs of stores and will expand that program to cover its parking lots. According to Keesson, investments into solar panels are already returning profits for the company by lowering operational costs.
Beyond its own operations, IKEA said it has also taken steps that will benefit communities across the U.S. after investing in solar parks and wind farms in Utah, Illinois, and Texas.
While IKEA has received requests from customers to prioritize sustainability, the company said its commitment to sustainability was born from simply wanting to contribute to creating a safer, more healthy planet.
"We are working to continuously communicate and inspire our customers to be able to also live a healthier and more sustainable life," Keesson said.
"We're not doing it necessarily just because we know our customers are wanting it. We do this because we know it's the right thing to do. We believe it's good business to be a good business."
During the interview conducted during Women's History Month, Keesson said IKEA "sees equality as the heart of human rights" and is intentional in its hiring practices.
"If you look at our U.S. country management, for example, 50 percent of the leadership roles are held by women, and looking nationally, 48 percent of our co-workers identify as female in the U.S.," she said.
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