IKEA unveils sustainability-oriented collaborations for 2020

Swedish home furnishing retailer, IKEA has announced upcoming collaborations with globally acclaimed artists, designers and brands in 2020. The latest IKEA developments related to product designs, sustainability features, healthy living elements, food market and much more were unveiled at IKEA’s biggest event in Sweden, Democratic Design Days. This year’s event focused heavily on sustainable solutions for a positive impact on people and the planet, as well as creative home solutions for small space living.

Since 2012, IKEA has been proactively engaging in sustainability projects. IKEA is collaborating with the Spanish award-winning designer, Inma Bermúdez, on a project to clean plastic pollutants from the oceans. The collection, MUSSELBLOMMA, is made from recycled plastic, including PET plastic waste caught in nets of the Mediterranean Sea and collected by Spanish fishermen.

IKEA’s sustainable ambition can also be seen in its newest food offering. IKEA and Claus Meyer, often accredited as the founder of the New Nordic Cuisine Philosophy, are teaming up for a delightful food experience offering “a modern taste of Sweden” to customers around the world. In addition, IKEA is partnering with TOM DIXOM to develop new products that will allow growing plants and vegetables inside and outside of homes. The aim is to inspire the many people towards healthier and more sustainable food habits.

In collaboration with Greyhound Original Bangkok, IKEA visited Thailand to explore small space living and multifunctionality with an open and problem-solving mindset. Its mission was to explore innovative solutions to better living with small spaces and tight budgets as recycling, reusing and creative repurposing has become a growing trend in Asia. This resulted in an interesting collection influenced by Asia, called SAMMANKOPPLA, which means interconnect or unify.

As metropolitan areas are becoming more popular and booming, living spaces are shrinking. IKEA is exploring flexible and innovative solutions that empower people to have big dreams for their small homes through a collaboration with Ori. In conjunction with IKEA, the American start-up has developed ROGNAN robotic furniture for modern living where people will be able to turn small spaces into smart spaces that have all the comfort and convenience of a home.

Together with British designer Zandra Rhodes, known for her edgy and exuberant fashion lines with prints, IKEA is set to launch a new product range that will translate Rhodes’s famous colourful textile prints and patterns into a homeware context.

In 2018, IKEA launched the ‘Better Air Now’ initiative with the aim of acting on a global environmental issue by turning rice straws – a harvesting residue that contributes heavily to air pollution when burned – into raw material. The first results are seen in the upcoming collection FÖRÄNDRING which means ‘change’ in Swedish and illustrates the desire to contribute to positive change.

To offer inspiring everyday tools where renewable energy contributes to a sustainable and independent life, IKEA and Little Sun, the social business that has been providing energy to communities without electricity around the world have launched a series of new products called SAMMANLÄNKAD.

Along with the above collaborations, 2020 will see the launch of exciting collections that focuses on providing solutions to the many people. One such collection focuses on bringing families together over playtime – IKEA and LEGO Group are grouping once again to develop solutions to stimulate play with children all around the home resulting in the new collection called BYGGLEK. Together with sports retailer adidas, IKEA aims to find new smart solutions to enable people to stay active at home as well.