You go in for a flat-pack bookcase and some meatballs, and come out with… Well, it could be anything, but soon, US shoppers can add solar panels to their list of potential Ikea purchases.
Working in partnership with solar power company SunPower, Ikea US’ Home Solar initiative is being launched in some of its Californian stores this autumn. Home solar kits – which allow customers to generate and store their own power – will be available to the store’s loyalty program members, reports Inhabitat.
It’s an obvious choice of product for a company whose mission is to help people live sustainable lives. This move allows Ikea to extend its green footprint and enables customers to make choices about how they do the same.
Other sustainability initiatives announced by the company include buying back its used furniture from customers and buying forest land in Georgia to dedicate to conservation. The brand still has a long way to go to offset its carbon footprint, but it has ambitious sustainability strategies, especially if solar panels become as popular as some of its other products, like the Billy bookcase – one of which is made every 3 seconds.
Ikea solar panels were launched in the UK in 2017. But when the Feed-in Tariffs scheme ended in 2019, sales were put on pause. Let’s hope success in the US brings Ikea panels back to these shores.
