Under sustainable responsible initiative, in 2018, IKEA launched the ‘Better Air Now’ initiative with the aim to take action on a global environmental issue by turning rice straws – a harvesting residue that contributes heavily to air pollution when burned – into raw material.
“The long-term ambition is to create a model for how to reduce air pollution in other crop burning regions of the world, which is why IKEA has joined the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.”, IKEA said.
The long-term ambition for the ‘Better Air Now’ initiative is to include other parts of India and beyond and to create a model for how to reduce air pollution in other crop burning regions of the world. Company has joined the Climate and Clean Air Coalition as an actor in the Coalition’s Agricultural Initiative.
“We want to share our pilot model from Better Air Now for repurposing agricultural residues that can be scaled up and replicated by others in other regions and with other crops,” says Helene Davidsson, Sustainability Manager South Asia at IKEA Purchasing & Logistics.
Health effects due to air pollution is a growing and severe global concern. The situation in North India is one of the most alarming, where 9 of 10 of the world most polluted cities are situated. One peril is burning of rice straws, a residue from harvesting rice that widely aggravates pollution and smog.
Through the ‘Better Air Now’ initiative, launched in 2018, rice straws can instead become a new renewable material source for IKEA products.
