Ikea to buy back unwanted UK furniture in fresh green push

[LONDON] Ikea is offering to pay UK consumers for their unwanted items in a bid to lower waste headed to landfills.

The Swedish furniture retailer will allow returns of certain fully-assembled furniture items, such as dressers, sideboards and desks, in exchange for a voucher. Ikea will offer to pay 30 per cent to 50 per cent of the item's original value depending on its condition.

The average price for items eligible for return is £29 (S$53.85). Any furniture returned to Ikea will be either resold in stores or recycled.

Ikea has been testing furniture resale in Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland for more than a year. It had planned to launch a broader service last year, but that was postponed due to lockdowns.

"Our research shows that there's huge demand to buy quality second-hand products," said Greg Lucas, country sustainability manager for Ikea UK.

As workers start returning to the office amid rising vaccination rates, there could be demand to return some work-from-home items that may no longer be needed.

Ikea is one of a number of companies trying to find ways to reuse or recycle material to minimise the impact on the environment and to meet the demands of more socially conscious consumers.

Ikea has already pledged to become a "fully circular and climate positive business by 2030". A circular business is one that reuses or recycles materials and products.

BLOOMBERG