InBUSINESS Q1 2018

FEATURE

A HANDS-ON COLLABORATION and then coming into the store.

So it’s not either or, we see it as a totality and we also see shop online as a growth driver.”

A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS IKEA is one of the world’s biggest consumers of wood. According to the BBC documentary Flatpack Empire aired earlier this year, the company uses one per cent of the world’s commercial wood supply each year, estimated to be the equivalent of 70 million trees.

The figures are quite astounding, and having such an impact on the environment has led IKEA to rethink ways of making the business a more sustainable and environmentally friendly one.

For instance, it is now assessing the viability of using recyclable materials such as aluminium in the manufacture of many of its products currently being made with wood.

Marshall says IKEA likes to be seen as “people and planet positive” and outlines some of the other measures the company has taken to reduce its carbon footprint in recent years. “We have a lot of products made from cotton and we are really looking to source sustainably. We have switched to LED lights and 98 per cent of all of our packaging material is either recycled material or recyclable material or reused.”

Not everyone will be aware that IKEA owns a wind farm based in Carrickeeny in north-west Leitrim.

As part of a deal agreed in 2013, IKEA sells electricity generated by the wind farm to Irish energy supply company Vayu, which supplies electricity to the retailer’s Dublin and Belfast stores under a 15-year contract. “We are producing this renewable energy to operate the store here and we also have zero waste for landfill so really we are doing a lot in the store when it comes to recycling and sustainability.”

IKEA’s positive approach extends to people within the local community too whereby it invites customers to participate in various workshops aimed at the promotion InBUSINESS | Q1 2018

036 InBusiness Q1 2018_IKEA.indd 39

It’s not all India and China when it comes to IKEA’s sourcing of products. The company looked no further than the west of Ireland when it sought the production of a 3D-printed piece of home decor used for hanging jewellery from Tralee-based start-up Wazp. “Working with IKEA on the Omedelbar 3D printed hand was massively important for us,” Shane Hassett, co-founder and CEO of Wazp, tells InBUSINESS. “It proved that our strategy for high volume 3D printing works for large international brands. It also allowed us to learn so much by actually producing high volume 3D printed products for the consumer market – something that had never been done before.” Wazp was set up in 2014 after Shane Hassett and Mariana Kobal spotted an opportunity to start a company that uses 3D printing for mass production. Having secured support from Enterprise Ireland, Wazp started out at Tralee Institute of Technology and has since gone from strength to strength, now boasting big name clients such as Puma and Next. www.wazp.io

of sustainable living. That includes presentations on how to cook in a more sustainable way, how you reduce your energy bill by using alternative lightbulbs or tips on how to generate more sustainable heating at home.

Aside from the environmental side of things, Marshall says her main focus on Irish operations for the foreseeable future will be on the growth agenda. In the past two years IKEA has already taken significant expansion steps in Ireland with the opening of its order and collection point in Carrickmines, as well as the launch of its new online store. So the big question is when will we see another giant blue building on Irish soil? Marshall remains tight-lipped. “We are constantly looking for opportunities and we are investigating opening a second store, specifically in Cork, but there is nothing to confirm yet,” she says.

Now one year in her position, Marshall says she fully enjoys the

job and, with the growth agenda in mind, sees herself staying for a few years yet. In terms of lifestyle, she has become quite taken by her adopted country, which is no surprise given that visiting the Irish coastline was a dream of hers as a child. “There are a couple of minor things you miss whenever you move to a different country but I love living here,” she says. “You have a beautiful countryside, you have a fantastic city, so you’re getting everything. And I really love the people in Ireland, they are very open, they are very welcoming, very supportive, and sometimes a little nosey!”

This leads conveniently to my final question: Does all the furniture in her home come from IKEA? “Some but not all of it,” Marshall answers before revealing that her favourite IKEA possession is her light blue Strandmon wing chair. Of course, another 12 months in the role and that preference might have shifted to one of IKEA’s finest picture frames.

39

09/05/2018 15:35