WWF and IKEA renew their 23-year longstanding partnership

WWF and IKEA have renewed their global partnership for another five years, building on a two-decade legacy of collaboration to protect natural resources and transform business practices. This collaboration is proof that working with businesses is an effective way to drive meaningful change at a global scale.

Since 2002, the partnership has worked to help transform entire industries, from protecting forests to revolutionizing cotton farming.

Together, we have created solutions that benefit both people and the planet. Here’s a look at some of our collective impact:

• Protecting forests: The partnership has strengthened forest policy and driven market transformation towards responsibly sourced wood. As a result, nearly all known virgin forests in the Carpathian region of Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine have been mapped, with over 75% now protected. Our work also contributed to IKEA’s 2020 goal of sourcing 100% of its wood from FSC-certified or recycled sources.
• Transforming cotton farming: The partnership pioneered a shift in the cotton industry, helping to train over 400,000 farming families in climate-smart and regenerative agriculture practices in India and Pakistan. This has led to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from cotton production and has provided over 10,000 women with training and new skills.
• Safeguarding freshwater: By collaborating on a global water risk assessment, the partnership helped inform IKEA’s water agenda. More recently, IKEA has joined the Freshwater Challenge Business Supporter programme, an initiative to restore 300,000 kilometers of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of degraded wetlands by 2030.

The urgency to reverse nature loss has never been greater, and for this, we must work together. WWF sees collaboration with the private sector as a vital driver of sustainable development.

Daudi Sumba, WWF Global Chief Conservation Officer, explains: “The urgency to reverse nature loss and reduce emissions has never been greater - and achieving real progress demands cross-sector collaboration. WWF’s long-standing partnership with IKEA, built on more than 20 years of legacy and shared ambition, is an example of how businesses can be a powerful force for transformation. Together, our combined expertise and influence can create effective solutions that positively shape business practices and drive meaningful change"

By partnering with influential companies like IKEA, we can scale our conservation efforts far beyond what we could achieve alone.

The renewed partnership will continue its work in forests and freshwater while taking a wider stance on agriculture. The previous cotton program, active since 2005, will expand to a broader range of agricultural commodities such as beef, leather, and soy, with a focus on regenerative agriculture, ecosystem restoration, and deforestation and conversion-free supply chains.

Another significant change for the upcoming years is that the current climate programme will now serve as an integrated part of the other programmes, forest, agriculture and freshwater. The Partnership will continue its efforts in countries both within and outside of the IKEA value chain, ensuring that activities are relevant to local contexts and aligned with WWF priorities and IKEA responsible sourcing goals.

“Visiting our joint projects in different countries has shown me first-hand how impactful our partnership with WWF is - from the health of forests, agricultural lands and ecosystems to the livelihoods of local communities. This collaboration is truly about creating a lasting impact for both people and nature. That’s why I’m proud we are now entering the next phase, stronger as partners and with a clear course set for 2030.”, says Christina Niemela Ström, Head of Sustainability for Supply, Inter IKEA Group.

WWF and IKEA are working together to safeguard natural resources and transform business for the benefit of people and the planet. This partnership is a testament to what can be achieved when we combine ambition with collective action.