Dive Brief:

• As part of its environmental sustainability efforts, Ikea launched its As-is online service, where Ikea Family members can reserve gently-used products online and pick them up in-store, the retailer announced on Wednesday.
• Once a product is reserved online, customers have 48 hours to pick it up at their selected store. The retailer inspects gently used or discontinued products for functionality and safety, according to its website.
• All products are posted online with photos, a product description and a price. However, if the As-is online posting doesn’t fit with a customer’s in-store assessment there is not a requirement to continue the transaction. As-is products are excluded from the company’s return policy.

Dive Insight:

The As-is program is part of Ikea’s larger effort to work on sustainability. 

The company, which wants to become a circular business by 2030, piloted a buy back and resell program in Philadelphia in the summer of 2021 and shortly thereafter began to expand to other cities. 

In order to participate in the As-is program, shoppers need to be part of the company’s Ikea Family loyalty program. The As-is service is offered as a benefit of the program.

“This Earth Month marks an exciting time for Ikea U.S. as we continue to make sustainable attainable for the many people. As-is online joins our other services like Buy Back & Resell and the spare parts program that help our customers live a more sustainable life at home with a variety of ways to prolong the life of their furniture,” Javier Quiñones, CEO and chief sustainability officer at Ikea U.S., said in a statement. 

In recent years, Ikea has faced scrutiny over its recycling practices, its possible use of wood from illegal logging and the effectiveness of its overall sustainability efforts. Amidst its efforts to reduce its climate impact, the retailer said its fiscal year 2022 emissions dropped by 5% year over year and 12% from fiscal year 2016.

The retailer aims to reduce its emissions by 15% compared to 2016 by 2030. The company has a goal of using only recycled or renewable materials by fiscal year 2030, along with other initiatives like using bio-based wood glues, sourcing 100% recycled materials for some key materials, and setting goals for total renewable energy use by some materials’ suppliers.