IKEA’s sustainability strategy was launched in 2012, and in Finland, it began with investments in wind power. Since then, the strategy has shifted to include investing in solar energy due to its scalability and flexibility. Solnet Group has become a reliable supplier of smart solar energy solutions for IKEA. Ann-Christin Pilviö was talking about IKEA’s sustainability targets and working towards them at the Suomi Areena event in Finland in the summer of 2024.
Ann-Christin Pilviö works as a Business Development Manager at IKEA Finland, which is part of the Ingka Group of IKEA. Sustainability is among her duties at the company, and solar energy is an integral part of the agenda.
“Our first solar plant was originally at the Vantaa store in 2019, and after that, we have implemented it on three other sites. So we basically have it at 80% of our units”, Pilviö says.
According to Pilviö, Solnet met all of IKEA’s criteria for a provider of solar energy solutions. The solutions needed to be smart yet low maintenance, and IKEA looked for a partner who could provide long-term support for its technology. Solnet Group also excels in safety when implementing and maintaining the technology, which is a key factor for both companies.
A big part of the picture
IKEA aims to be fully climate-positive by the year 2030. That means not just becoming carbon neutral, but benefiting the environment by removing carbon emissions rather than producing them. The company sees solar power as a crucial way of reducing emissions on the road to climate positivity. The solar plants also improve the self-sufficiency of IKEA’s department stores, as they can cover approximately 20% of the stores’ energy requirements. Meanwhile, a solar energy project at IKEA’s new customer distribution center will produce 32% of that location’s energy requirements.
Finally, Pilviö points to solar energy as having facilitated an increase in the share of sustainable customer distributions. The majority of IKEA’s deliveries between its stores and customers are now made with emission-free electric vehicles, and solar energy has helped bump the share of sustainable deliveries up to 70%.
“I would recommend everybody to implement solar power. We would like to be an example to other countries as well as an enabler for our customers to help them live a healthier and more sustainable life”, Pilviö concludes.
