Interviews

, 21.07.21

Storage units with a big heart

What started as an extensive collaboration with IKEA markets three years ago has now taken a beautiful shape in the form of the BAGGEBO. The storage range for the living room is now available in selected markets. We sat down with Bonnie Yu and Johanna Jelinek to know more about the range and how they brought together innovative designs and light materials to create a truly affordable family of living room storage products that suits all pockets, spaces and layout ideas.

, 19.07.21

Recharging for a more sustainable future

A lot of customers tend to believe rechargeable batteries are complicated and expensive. So, we challenged ourselves to offer our customers a simple solution. IKEA has created a long-lasting rechargeable €1 battery that’s ready to use. If that’s not enough, these batteries also reduce waste as they don’t need to be disposed of frequently, thereby keeping the planet clean. We sat down with Jimmie Eriksson and Gizem Harut to learn about IKEA focus on rechargeable batteries and how will these influence IKEA products in future.

Interviews

, 30.06.21

Making renewable energy a habit for IKEA suppliers

Andreas Ahrens has found a way to make commitments easy. Make them a part of your daily life by turning them into habits, he says. To be sure, the Head of Climate at IKEA has been part of initiating a new program that will enable more than 1,600 IKEA suppliers globally to embrace renewable electricity and replace traditional coal and other fossil-based electricity.

Interviews

, 12.06.21

Respecting children’s rights at every step

What are the rights of a child? What are the responsibilities of a company? Is it only about avoiding child labour? We talked to Alinde Melin, the Global Human Rights and Children’s Rights Leader at IKEA, about what children’s rights are and why IKEA is focused on ensuring that all its business decisions promote the best interests of children.

A dark room with a lighted booth with two gaming chairs in it.

, 09.06.21

Bringing the world of cyberpunk and home furnishing together

What happens when you combine gaming experts and experts on life at home? We sat down with Johnny Chan, lead designer at Republic of Gamers (ROG), and IKEA designer Jon Karlsson, to discuss how a collision of worlds created something quite unique: the much-anticipated range of furniture made for gaming.

High shelving with blue numbered signs in a warehouse, with pallets with packages and a forklift driving on the floor.

, 27.05.21

Using artificial intelligence for smarter demand forecasting

IKEA has developed an advanced tool that can significantly improve the accuracy of its demand forecasting. The tool uses artificial intelligence, and existing and new data to offer highly accurate forecast insights. The tool is currently rolled out in Norway. We talked to Peter Grimvall to find out more about the new tool and how it helps IKEA plan its demand and supply better.

Luis Gomez Barquin sitting beside two colourful rugs with playful patterns, and looking through piles of printed patterns.

, 18.05.21

Luis about putting fashion on the floor

To Luis, the hand-tufted rug technique is like painting on a white canvas but using dyed wool yarns instead of paint. We talked to the Product Design Developer about working with the colourful KARISMATISK rug, designed together with British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.

A man at a table with a computer and crockery in front of him, plus two persons looking at soft toys placed on the floor.

, 06.05.21

Jorge on bringing out the inner child for designing toys

There is a child in all of us, or so they say. Jorge Omar Santoyo Henaine can vouch for that. The product developer has managed to not only keep his inner child alive but also brimming with creative ideas. We ask him how? Jorge says for each toy that he creates at IKEA, he asks the child in him – would you like to play with this one? If the answer is yes, he goes ahead with it.

Portrait of a man in glasses, plus coarse flour on a blue plate on top of a tray with a nugget-like food product.

, 03.05.21

Collaborating with start-ups for a more sustainable food offer

As one of the world’s largest food providers, IKEA has set a goal that 50 per cent of the main meals offered in its restaurants will be plant-based by 2025. Puneet Trehan, as part of a core team in IKEA, is now looking for start-ups that can help IKEA reach the goals and at the same time offer delicious and affordable meals.