How has IKEA used emerging technology to reduce carbon emissions?
“There’s an interesting concept which contrasts cutting-edge technology with ‘bleeding-edge’ technology. Sometimes, trying to be too innovative for its own sake, or for the sake of appearances, can be a challenge. We tend to use established technology. The real question is how and why you use any technology; what you expect of and from it. “For example, one major manufacturing firm put up a whopping great 200 metre turbine at their factory on the edge of London. They basically wanted payback within a year. That was how quick their cash flow had to work. “IKEA has made a commitment on the renewable technology going into our buildings. Normally the cap-ex payback is between three and five years – it’s then that you’d expect a return on investment. On renewables, IKEA has extended that to 13 years, as long as the equipment will last that time. “We’re willing to invest, willing to use new technologies, as long as it’s not done for green-washing but for good business reasons. It is in this
