Embedding sustainability in the workplace

IKEA are already well known for applying innovative solutions to improve the environmental impact of producing and transporting their goods. Sustainability and maintaining good environmental credentials is a priority for IKEA at the most senior level right through to the products available in IKEA stores.

IKEA were having difficulties making their environmental policy mean something to their employees. Staff at IKEA were having trouble seeing how they could make a difference in their day-to-day activities. There was already a culture of employee engagement, benefits and rewards throughout IKEA. This culture needed to built upon to develop an effective strategy to engage with IKEA’s staff on environmental issues.

By providing the recently established IKEA Green Team with a bespoke workshop session, they were armed with knowledge and facts to help them disseminate energy awareness messages throughout the workforce. The resulting Engagement Activity Action Plan gave the team a focus for their first year in existence, gave individual members ownership of certain activities, and improved penetration levels of the ‘energy awareness’ message to co-workers.

Working in partnership with the tadea managed Energy Saving Trust advice centre has helped IKEA to take the ‘green’ message to both an individual and personal level. It has also provided IKEA staff with practical advice enabling them to save energy and also money in their own homes. This helped to build on the understanding already in place that IKEA are committed to employees not only at work but at home too.

Emma Devine-Lawson, Environment Specialist for IKEA Gateshead says "Sustainability is an integral part of our business at IKEA. Working with the tadea managed Energy Saving Trust advice centre is helping us to inform both our visitors and co-workers, in a humble and down-to-earth way about what they can do in their home as well as what we do in the social and environmental field. They are a fantastic resource and have been on hand to advise both our visitors and co-workers, helping us all work towards a more sustainable future. The individual case studies, the driving simulator and the personalised group information are just a few examples of what the tadea managed Energy Saving Trust advice centre has done, and will do, to support us. The information has always been informative, realistic and useful"