Ingka Group, the largest retailer within the Ikea franchise system, has reported a 39 per cent year-on-year increase in the volume of used furniture collected through its Buyback service.
According to the company’s Annual Summary and Sustainability Report for the 2025 financial year, the retailer sourced approximately 686,500 pre-owned Ikea products from customers, up from 495,000 items in the previous financial year.
The growth in the buyback initiative comes as the retailer expands infrastructure aimed at lengthening the lifespans of its products.
Currently, 424 Ikea stores operate ‘As-is’ areas, dedicated spaces where customers can purchase second-hand and discontinued items.
As part of store-based initiatives, Ingka Group launched the ‘Ikea second-hand marketplace’, a peer-to-peer online platform enabling consumers to trade used Ikea furniture directly with one another.
The digital marketplace was piloted in Norway, Portugal, and Spain, with the company confirming plans to roll the platform out across wider European markets over the next year.
CSO Karen Pflug noted that the expansion of circular services is part of a broader effort to address resource use, though she acknowledged that operations face ongoing challenges in fully aligning with international climate targets, such as the 1.5°C pathway of the Paris Agreement.
“This includes intensifying our efforts in areas like reducing operational waste and achieving 100-per-cent renewable electricity sourcing for all our operations,” said Pflug.
“We know that addressing climate change, nature loss, and human rights issues requires collective action. We invite collaboration – across businesses, policymakers, and communities – to remove barriers, accelerate action, and create shared value that benefits society, our business, and the planet we call home.”
Beyond the furniture buyback metrics, the report outlined other operational sustainability figures:
- Scope 1 and 2 Emissions: A 22.3 per cent reduction in absolute operational emissions since the 2024 financial year, contributing to a total 70.6 per cent reduction against a 2016 baseline.
- Home Deliveries: Zero-emission home deliveries rose to 60.1 per cent of total deliveries, up from 41.1 per cent the previous year.
- Renewable Electricity: Renewable sources matched 94.8 per cent of the company’s electricity consumption across its operations.
- Food Waste: Food waste in store kitchens fell by 60 per cent compared to a 2017 baseline.
The 2025 financial report marks the first time Ingka Group has structured its disclosures around Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) pillars.
The change is intended to prepare the organisation for upcoming regulatory compliance under the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).
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