Wood you help me?
Its all about the green and I am not referring to the stuff in your wallet. Its about being good to the environment. This post kind of tackles two subjects a once, furniture fabrication and quality and the ways Ikea is on a path to being Green!
I overheard someone say "knock on wood" in the store the other day, the reply was "you can't there isn't any here." I had to smile but they are only half right.
The reason for Ikea's success is in large part by the low prices they offer and, oh yeah, the cute stuff they have. Working here has given me an insight into how they make the furniture, which I was surprised by the fact that my Lack tables are made with something that resembles glued together sawdust, only chunky style! This makes it lighter to ship and uses up what we probably would have thrown out as waste, more genius. If you tap on the legs of the table, it might sound a little hollow, thats because there is a lot of air in there. More air equals less raw materials used equals less damage to the environment. That is the main focus for Ikea now, how to use materials to build good looking, quality products without stripping the environment.
I read that they changed the way they made the popular STUVA series lighter and used less materials. The old way - one tree made 13 STUVA storage boxes. The new way - after the changes, 23 storage boxes. Ummmmm...... WOW! Not only is it lighter, (which is good for you, because you are the one who has to pack it in your car and then carry it up three flights of stairs to your apartment) but now its is easier on the natural resources. Its called Board On Frame, which involves a bunch of technical things like honeycomb paper and hmmm, air. Its sturdy and light.
Green Store
I had never heard of LEED before coming here. It stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Its a mouthful. My building is LEED certified, to be certified you have be able to meet five criteria.
1. Sustainable site - low impact on the site its built on, less hard surfaces and natural landscaping.
2. Water efficient - low flush toilets, using less water to irrigate
3. Energy and Atmosphere - monitoring systems for heating and cooling
4. Materials and Resources - reduce, reuse, recycle. You know the drill.
5. Indoor Environmental Quality - use of low-emitting materials use of natural light through skylights.
Its a lot to process and a little bit serious but is necessary to understand what drives Ikea's low prices. I could honestly go on for pages telling you about how Ikea uses renewable resources such as recycled plastics or how stores use solar power for heating water instead of using electricity but this is a blog, I am not writing a book. It is truly amazing how Ikea spends the time and effort to reduce its impact on the environment and that should keep the tree huggers happy.... for now
Tak,
Krister
