The retailer continues to ship goods overseas on dirty, heavily-polluting ships, showing a blatant disregard for the gravity of our climate crisis and for the health of port and coastal communities who bear the brunt of ocean shipping pollution.
In 2021, IKEA’s fossil-fueled ocean shipping emitted over 82K metric tons of carbon dioxide — and that’s just for its imports into the U.S.! It’s time for IKEA to commit to climate leadership by committing to clean, zero-emission ships by 2030.
IKEA’s dirty ships also pollute our air, emitting toxins linked to asthma, cancer and risk of death from respiratory-based illnesses like COVID-19, particularly in port communities and communities of color.
IKEA’s Pledge to Ship It Zero
IKEA has committed to Ship it Zero by 2040 as a member of Cargo Owners for Zero Emissions Vessels. While this commitment is significant and promising, it’s a decade too late. In order to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius — the benchmark suggested by the scientific community to avoid the worst elements of global warming — we need IKEA to make a bolder, earlier zero-emission transition.
IKEA’s Zero-Emission Opportunity
IKEA must take its climate commitments to the seas. True climate action means zero emissions — and that means cutting ship pollution from dirty, fossil-fueled ships. It’s time for IKEA to fully commit to climate leadership by committing to clean, zero-emission ships this decade, no later than 2030. We’re urging IKEA to stop moving products on fossil-fueled ships by 2030 — 10 years earlier than their 2040 commitment.