“I never fully realized IKEA’s true power until we did this project,” says Matthieu Leroy, Sustainability Specialist at IKEA Media Production. To improve the green procurement of paper and print for its 217-million-copy catalogue, the furniture giant from Sweden teamed up with us in 2014, and we’ve been working diligently with them to create some remarkably effective big-data tools.

“The results have been beyond our expectations,” comments Leroy. In the first year,the catalogue’s energy consumption dropped 8%, while CO2 emission went down 2%. That may sound modest, but with a print run that has an energy footprint the size of the entire South Carolina economy, this adds up to 285,000 barrels of oil left in the ground each year from now on, and the CO2 emissions of 155,000 car kilometers compensated for by IKEA’s CO2 savings. Plus, these reductions have only just started to kick in and are accelerating." - Matthew Leroy

Together, IKEA and Except are creating the world’s largest sustainability-driven Self-Learning Supply Chain. The energy savings are expected to increase for each next year to come. And all this for a cost less than US$ 0.5 mio.  This results in a cost/benefit ratio of over 200 for the energy savings alone.  The online magazine 2Degrees writes this about the process: 

"Before being allowed to enter discussions with purchasers, suppliers also must report on many environmental KPIs (energy, water, waste, emissions) from the pulp, paper and print productions, as well as all transportation involved.

These data create a sustainability performance profile for each supplier. IKEA purchasers then use this profile to inform their purchasing decisions and select suppliers whose sustainability performance will contribute to IKEA’s own sustainability goals."

The data is processed in our online big-data dashboard, which makes thousands of data points instantly visible and comprehensible in intuitive overview graphics. This allows purchasers and suppliers to instantly see performance opportunities and make critical decisions faster, better, and with lasting positive results.

The Results

 Because of these requirements, standards, processes and tools, the IKEA catalogue is now the largest print production ever to be printed on 100% Forest Stewardship Council™ certified paper (FSC™ Mix Credit) and to carry the FSC™ logo. This means the entire IKEA catalogue production chain, from forest to printer, is FSC certified to ensure more sustainable origins of the wood.

The original goal was to reach 100% with catalogue 2016 but, by building a thorough supplier selection process and working with the most responsible paper and print suppliers, this goal has already been met – one year ahead of schedule.

See this article for more details:  2Degrees: Mission impossible? Making the IKEA catalogue production more sustainable and FSC certified.  We’ll be publishing more news and details about how and what soon, so if you’re curious  keep an eye out. 

 Our impact

Read more about our impact with this year's projects , including this one,  in  Let the Numbers' Speak, Except's yearly review.

Reference Projects

IKEA Catalogue Story of Print

Interactive Story Telling Tools Promote Stakeholder Engagement

IKEA Media Production engaged Except to showcase the sustainability achievements and ambitions of its 200-million-copy catalogue. Together we created a storytelling infographic for the IKEA customer-facing staff, and a data-packed dashboard for internal stakeholders such as store co-workers, catalogue responsibles, PR, social media, communication, sustainability and marketing managers and teams. The tools have been introduced to thousands of employees, permeating learning and awareness.

... read more >

IKEA Catalogue Supply Chain Dashboards

Intuitive Dashboards Enable Sustainable Decision Making

The IKEA catalogue with more than 200 million copies is the largest annual print run in the world. IKEA Media Production has worked diligently to improve the catalogue’s sustainability performance. To find new ways to boost its performance, IKEA Media Production engaged Except. Together we applied a new systems-thinking approach and found powerful ways to raise performance.

With implementation partners Trade Extensions and Deloitte we created new visual big data tools in less than a year. Together we realized a sustainability-driven learning supply chain that is now helping transform the biggest paper and print suppliers worldwide.

... read more >