What Food Service Company Is Taking A Proactive Stance In Terms Of Social Responsibility

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Founded in 1943, IKEA is currently the largest multinational piece of furniture retail chain in the world. With over 440 stores, this Swedish-founded visitor is known for translating the needs and tastes of consumers into affordable and well-designed habitation furnishings. From its apartment-packed bookshelves to its signature Swedish meatballs, IKEA remains committed to its fundamental mission "to create a improve everyday life for the many people."

Headquartered in the Netherlands, IKEA stores operate under franchise agreements issued by INGKA Property B.V. To ensure product consistency, these franchises are in plow, managed past Inter IKEA Systems B.Five – the owner of the IKEA brand. Together, these two entities support the retail operations and production of over ix,500 products in over 50 global markets. In 2020, the Swedish conglomerate was valued at nearly $18 billion (USD) with a global revenue total of $45 billion (USD).^[i]

IKEA Corporate Social Responsibility Policy

Since the launch of its People & Planet Positive program in 2012, IKEA has grown into the 3rd nearly globally recognized leader in environmental sustainability and social responsibility.^[ii] With an ambitious and innovative agenda, IKEA'due south 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals heart on three key initiatives:

1. Healthy and sustainable living
2. Climate positive initiatives
3. Social equality and fairness

I. IKEA's Healthy and Sustainable Living Programs

In 2020, IKEA expanded its sustainable living plan while likewise keeping a close eye on the environmental impact of its operations. In item, these CSR efforts included renewed support for promoting the personal health and wellbeing of people. In line with this objective, IKEA extended its 2020 habitation product line to include domicile air purifiers, energy-efficient LED calorie-free bulbs, solar panels, and h2o recycling systems for showers and baths.

Last twelvemonth, IKEA introduced more plant-based nutrient alternatives in their grocery stores and restaurants, placing it on track to brand 50% of its restaurant meals and lxxx% of its packaged food range plant-based past 2025. In add-on to these company practices, IKEA has taken overt steps to reduce food production waste product past half over the next 2 years.

Two. IKEA'southward Climate Positive Programs

IKEA continues to invest in CSR strategies that emphasize cost-constructive, eco-friendly materials and processes. In 2020, the company reached its goal to integrate more sustainable wood sources in its furnishings, with 98% of the woods used in its products derived from FSC-certified sources and/or recycled materials. In conjunction with these policies, IKEA continues to piece of work with suppliers and partners to minimize its environmental impact past improving the durability of its dwelling house furnishings.

To further its climate-positive objectives, eighty% of its fabric products and soft furnishings are now made from recycled polyester. The company too reported significant strides in phasing out single-use plastic products from their home effects, with 44% of its plastic products being manufactured from recycled or renewable materials in 2020.

As office of its climate-positive programme, IKEA earmarked over $230 1000000 to support its renewable energy commitments. A bulk of this funding volition go towards integrating more electric vehicles in its home delivery service, too equally expanding its reforestation efforts and other forest direction initiatives.

III. IKEA's Social Equality & Fairness Programs

Assertive all people are every bit competent, IKEA'south Multifariousness and Inclusion policy continues to lead the style in gender equality. In 2020, 40% of the company's tiptop management positions were held by women, underscoring its commitment to achieving a 50/50 gender split by 2030. To further support fair and equal handling of employees regardless of gender or sexual orientation, IKEA has taken proactive steps to ensure its company policies align with the UN Standards of Behave for eliminating LGBQT+ discrimination in the workplace.

Respecting and supporting homo rights throughout their supply chain remains a fundamental component of IKEA'southward CSR agenda. In 2020, IKEA updated its supplier lawmaking of comport (IWAY) to ensure decent and meaningful work in a not-discriminatory environment is available to all employees. To ensure that supply concatenation operations are transparent and fair, audits are regularly performed by both IKEA and 3rd-party organizations to ensure that all suppliers fulfill IWAY requirements. In 2020, IKEA also connected its social entrepreneur program for artisans in developing countries to help promote positive social alter where it is most needed.

COVID-19 Relief

IKEA undertook special CSR initiatives to protect and support the health and livelihoods of workers, customers, concern partners, and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, more 1.seven meg facemasks, gloves, bedding, and nutrient supplies were donated to medical facilities across the world. Most notably, IKEA's COVID-nineteen outreach included:

• Partnering with over fourscore local charities in Portugal to provide "permit's play and larn" kits to back up abode learning for ten,000 children and their families.

• Supplying over 117,000 products to medical facilities in Mainland china, including textiles, chairs, and trolleys.

• Providing fully furnished apartments in Deutschland and Switzerland to accost increases in domestic violence due to lockdown restrictions.

• Donating bedding, textiles, and other related supplies such equally chairs, sponges, and water bottles to medical staff and volunteers combating COVID-19 in the cities of Daegu, Korea, and Hyderabad, India.

In addition to its community outreach, IKEA took activity to secure employment for many of its workers throughout all segments of its business operations. Additional leave for workers with children and more flexible work hours were provided to many employees beyond the IKEA supply chain. In 2020, steps were taken amid some IKEA franchises to reimburse co-workers for lost income.

IKEA Corporate Social Responsibleness Issues

As the largest consumer of wood in the world, IKEA is frequently nether scrutiny for its ecology bear on. Critics of IKEA's are often quick to point out that their lower prices not merely clasp "more than for less" out of suppliers operating in depression-wage countries merely besides encourage impulse ownership and disposable consumerism that negatively affect global landfills.^[3] Taking the issue of overconsumption onboard, IKEA continues to invest in prolonging the shelf-life and immovability of its products. Equally part of this endeavour, IKEA launched its "plow Black Friday Green" entrada to promote innovative ways customers tin can repurpose previously purchased IKEA products.^[4]

In 2020, the company was likewise the subject of an investigation centered on the illegal logging of beech trees in Ukraine.^[five] Issuing a response, IKEA asked the FSC to carry out an audit, stating: "IKEA does not take illegally logged wood in our products." FSC besides issued a argument saying the "According to FSC standards, the visitor was not violating the law and was in compliance with FSC standards."

IKEA Sustainability Study 2020

Access Ikea's annual report here.^[half-dozen]

Conclusion

Committed to providing a range of low-toll well-designed dwelling house furnishings, the IKEA brand has go synonymous with functionality and affordability. Given the calibration of its business, IKEA continues to rest business growth with sustainability by investing in innovative CSR strategies. However, as an industry forepart-runner in sustainability and social responsibility, IKEA will need to go on to invest in measurable policies if it is to retain its prominent position on the CSR leaderboard.

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• CSR vs. ESG: Making the Case for Measurable Sustainability
• A Brief History of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
• Examining Corporate Social Responsibleness in the Industrial Space
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• Tin Corporate Social Responsibleness Bear on Your Company'due south Stock Prices?

Sources:

• FCS Watch.com. "IKEA's Ukrainian Illegal Timber Trouble." https://fsc-watch.com/2020/07/02/ikeas-ukrainian-illegal-timber-problem-that-fsc-didnt-discover/. Accessed 2 Apr 2021.
• Globescan.com. "The 2020 Globescan /Sustainability Leader Survey." https://globescan.com/unilever-patagonia-ikea-interface-height-sustainability-leaders-2020/#:~:text=Elevation%20Sustainability%20Leaders,-Unilever%20is%20named&text=Patagonia%20is%20in%20second%20place,one%20point%20compared%20to%202019). Accessed 8, April 2021.
  
• IKEA.com. "IKEA Sustainabilty Report, FY20."  https://gbl-sc9u2-prd-cdn.azureedge.net/-/media/aboutikea/pdfs/ikea-sustainability-reports/ikea_sustainability-report_fy20_.pdf?rev=51556c50bb594d1391e8a56f5ca05bed&hash=DFE0FADC2F7827888B421CACD310BB44. Accessed thirty March 2021.
• National Retail Federation.com.  "IKEA and H&Thou on Keeping up with Sustainability During a Global Pandemic." https://nrf.com/blog/ikea-and-hm-keeping-sustainability-during-global-pandemic. Accessed 12, April 2021.
• Statista.com. "IKEA's Brand Value Worldwide from 2016-2021."  https://www.statista.com/statistics/980112/brand-value-of-ikea-worldwide/. Accessed 12 Apr 2021.
• Shell, Ellen R. Cheap. "The High Toll of Discount Culture." Penguin Press, New York 2009.

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[ane] See: https://world wide web.statista.com/statistics/980112/brand-value-of-ikea-worldwide/

[2] See: https://globescan.com/unilever-patagonia-ikea-interface-elevation-sustainability-leaders-2020/#:~:text=Elevation%20Sustainability%20Leaders,-Unilever%20is%20named&text=Patagonia%20is%20in%20second%20place,one%20point%20compared%20to%202019).

[3] Run across: Shell Ellen R. "Cheap: The High Cost of Disbelieve Culture".

[4] See:https://nrf.com/blog/ikea-and-hm-keeping-sustainability-during-global-pandemic

[5] See: https://fsc-watch.com/2020/07/02/ikeas-ukrainian-illegal-timber-problem-that-fsc-didnt-notice/

[half dozen] Run into: https://www.ikea.com/au/en/files/pdf/71/bb/71bb29d8/ikeasustainabilityreportnew2020july3.pdf

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Source: https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/other/ikea-csr/

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