Inside IKEA UK’s Most Sustainable Store

Sustainable practices are no longer a business after-thought, but rather a business necessity.

Today, customers are more demanding of ethical credentials with a focus on corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

Javi Quiñones, Country Retail Manager, IKEA UK & Ireland explained that, “It’s key that businesses not only act responsibly, but also inspire others to do so.

“As one of the world’s major cities, London needs to lead the way in sustainability and show that growth can be achieved in a way that benefits the community and the planet.”

IKEA Greenwich opened its doors in February this year and LFRA Overseas Study Tour members were given a private tour of IKEA UK’s most sustainable store. Sustainable stores help position IKEA as a local and global brand that cares about the environment and the economic and social wellbeing of everyone they contact.

 

Building a sustainable design, structure and in-store experience

IKEA Greenwich is a world leader in sustainable store construction, practices and products.

At the beginning of the thought process, Greenwich Council challenged IKEA to construct a building that was 25% more energy efficient than building standards required at the time.

The team exceeded expectations and the store is over 80% more energy efficient than required. As a result, IKEA Greenwich was awarded a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’, the highest rating ever reached by an IKEA store anywhere in the world.

“The minimum aim for this project was to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’, but early on we came together, worked hard and stretched the boundaries to reach ‘Outstanding,” proudly stated Miguel Bonina, Construction Project Manager, IKEA UK & Ireland.

Lighting

Lighting was a major concern, but the IKEA Greenwich team found sustainable solutions to reduce reliance on commercial lighting and excessive energy consumption.

Natural daylight played a major role in reducing the need for artificial lighting with store planners and designers incorporating windows into room settings and sales areas with great effect.

Additional innovations include IKEA’s most efficient solar system to date, which takes up over 75% of the roof, and sun pipes from the green roof filtering daylight down into co-worker areas thus further reducing the need for artificial lighting.

The store’s lighting system is computer-controlled and self-adjusts for maximum efficiency and all lighting sources used and sold by IKEA are LED and are 80% more efficient than traditional lighting.

Heat and water

In addition to lighting, heat and water are another large energy cost and environmental issue. Working towards self-reliance and a circular economy, IKEA Greenwich’s geothermal system delivers 80% of the store’s heat and hot water needs.

Harvested rainwater helps keep the building’s temperature down in the summer by feeding a device which cools air through the evaporation of water.

The rest of the rainwater, collected in the 60,000 litre tank, flushes toilets within the store and further reduces the impact on city resources.

Green spaces

Green spaces throughout IKEA Greenwich promote sustainability and brings an element of nature to the city store.

Its green roof significantly reduces the store’s energy consumption by insulating it in winter and reduces the need for air conditioning in summer.

Plants on this green roof are predominately Sedum, a plant family that is low-maintenance, extremely hardy, drought resistant and lightweight, making them perfect for a green roof.

The green roof also offers shelter and nesting sites for local birds, bees, butterflies and other insects.

To the rear of the store there is a wildlife garden, a community space open to customers and the public, offering an escape from city.

IKEA Greenwich’s in-store customer journey intends to influence visitors’ attitude towards sustainable living. They are presented with home furnishing solutions and practical tips to minimise barriers for living a sustainable life.

“We wanted to build a store which would a beacon of sustainability for IKEA,” said Mr Quiñones.

“We hope this store not only makes IKEA more accessible to more people, it also allows us to engage more people in sustainable living.”

 

Creating unique experiences to encourage sustainable living

Sharing ideas in shared spaces

In addition to selling sustainably-made products, IKEA Greenwich inspires Londoners to think and live more sustainably with in-store workshops. These events focus on practical tips like upcycling and personalisation, reducing energy bills, avoiding food waste, growing your own garden and cooking classes.

Events are hosted either in communal workstations or in dedicated spaces like the Learning Lab. This 75m² space is unique to Greenwich and expert makers and external influencers are invited to host workshops and seminars for up to 25 people.

At IKEA Greenwich customers can learn how to prolong product life by showing them how to better install, use or repair and there are opportunities to be invited to a seminar to repurpose returned IKEA products into something new.

Scheduled workshops and seminars provide IKEA with an opportunity to learn how to better engage and meet customer needs. They also allow the opportunity to develop partnerships with local creatives, designers and spaces with common values and goals.

Leave the car at home

IKEA Greenwich is unlike other IKEA stores – it does not have a huge car park. In fact, there is a shared car park of only around 1,000 spaces and local roads are frequently congested. With 1.5 million people living within a 20 mins drive and a very low car ownership rate, IKEA Greenwich aims to steadily build on 42% of visitors sustainably travel to the store.

Considering these factors, driving to the store is not a practical option.

IKEA Greenwich instead offers a wide range of delivery options to encourage visitors to leave their car at home without compromising accessibility and sales.

This includes next day delivery, a first for IKEA in the UK, and boosting the online offer with service messages throughout the store including “Just order and we’ll do the rest” and “Shop online”. IKEA Greenwich is a leader in the movement towards a pollution-free London as it only uses electric vehicles for its deliveries to the Borough of Greenwich.

Employees (known as co-workers) are required to travel to and from work sustainably, whether it is via bicycle, public transport or on foot. For IKEA it is important that their co-workers actively support a sustainable lifestyle as brand representatives. With most co-workers living in the local area, this is an achievable sustainability goal.

 

Visiting IKEA’s most sustainable store in the UK offered tremendous insight into innovative business practices and interactions to meet customer needs and influence customer behaviour.

IKEA Greenwich is much more than an affordable home furniture store. It is where ideas are shared to help promote a more sustainable life at home. They say,

“At IKEA we want to offer the many people ways to live a better everyday life, but we want to do so within the limits of our planet”.

 

This article is a part of a 10-segment series covering the 2019 LFRA Overseas Study Tour.