Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has announced that it will ban all single-use plastic products from its restaurants and shops by 2020. The single-use plastic products include garbage bags, straws, freezer bags, cups, plates, and plastic-coated paper plates and cups.
The company’s move is a part of its wider sustainability strategy, which aims at becoming people and planet positive by 2030.”
Ikea will stop offering plates, drink stirrers, plastic straws, cutlery, cups and plastic containers for freshly prepared food at its restaurants.
The company is committed to purchase 100% renewable energy by 2020, and use only recycled and renewable materials in its products. It also aims to offer zero emission home deliveries by 2025.
Meanwhile, Ikea has also spent €1.7 billion ($2 billion) into renewable energy projects. It wants to construct 416 wind turbines. The company has already placed about 750,000 solar panels on IKEA buildings.
The CEO of Ikea’s parent firm Inter IKEA Group, Torbjörn Lööf, stated that “Through our size and reach we have the opportunity to inspire and enable more than one billion people to live better lives, within the limits of the planet.”
Plastic is one of the most popular materials in the world, due to its multiple uses and its low cost. The usage of plastic has been increased by 20 times in the last 50 years and it is anticipated to show double growth in the coming 20 years.
According to research, the world’s oceans will have more plastic than fish by weight by 2050.
Only 14% of plastic is obtained for recycling on a global reach. The reuse rate of plastic is horrible as compared to other materials like up to 90% of iron and steel and 58% of paper gets recycled.
The European Union has also committed to ban 10 single use plastic products including cutlery and plastic straws that account for 70% of all waste in EU waters and on beaches.
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