CONSUMER GOODS & RETAIL
Case 2. LCA in product design at IKEA Background Retailer product designers, developers and technicians face the challenge of factoring in the product’s environmental impacts throughout its life cycle as well as safety and quality considerations. IKEA has developed tools for systematically incorporating these criteria into its new product design and development processes. The initiatives
Rule 1: Establishment of objectives and compliance with sustainability
IKEA uses the ‘e-wheel’ method to learn about and assess the environmental impact of its products. This method analyzes various points of control: raw
requirements. Identification of sustainability objectives from the outset. Rule 2: Creation of more from less. Achievement of the same utility, quality and design using fewer raw materials. Rule 3: Use of environmentally-friendly materials. Use of renewable or
materials, manufacturing, product use and
recyclable materials whenever possible.
end of life. The company has specified the
Rule 4: Optimization of efficient production. Contribution to supply
implications of the e-wheel for its designers
chain sustainability.
by articulating eight rules to be followed
Rule 5: Smart packaging. Designer products can be packaged and dis-
when designing new products or updating existing products:
tributed efficiently. Rule 6: Creation of products with a long useful life. Helping customers to use products for longer without renouncing quality. Rule 7: Products that enable smart use. Helping customers to reduce their energy and water usage and their waste generation. Rule 8: Design for recycling. Design products that facilitate customer recycling. Benefits The e-wheel and the eight rules give IKEA’s design and development team a useful guide for creating more environmentally-friendly products, such as the EKTORP sofa which customers can now assemble at home. The self-assembly option allows IKEA cut merchandise handling time by 50%, emit 4,700 fewer tonnes of greenhouse gases, reduce required warehousing space by 370,000m2 and store display/storage space by half, while saving €8,300,000 a year in road transportation by needing 6,866 fewer trucks.
EKTORP
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