New steps for more sustainable kitchens

A few years ago, we developed a kitchen front with a foil surface made in recycled PET plastic. It was an important step in seeing all the PET bottles used around the world as a resource. So when it was time to add to our kitchen range with the new BODARP front, it was a given for the team to work with the same material. But this time they wanted to go even further in their goal to create a more sustainable kitchen front.

For product developer Sara Åberg and her colleagues, it was never considered to just make a new kitchen front in a new colour. They wanted to use new insights regarding both quality and sustainability. "Technology is constantly developing and now we are already seeing the next generation of foil made in recycled PET plastic, and it’s even more scratch-resistant," says Sara.

Small steps form great leaps

We have a strong belief that many small steps together form great leaps towards more sustainable products. One was that the team managed to reduce the amount of wood in the particle board of the front without compromising on quality – BODARP passes the same tough tests as all other IKEA fronts. "The fact that it’s 10-15% lighter than a standard front may not sound like a lot, but since we at IKEA manufacture so many kitchens, it means quite a decrease in the number of trees which are felled", Sara explains.

100% renewable electricity

It was not just the material that the team returned to, even the supplier was the same – for several reasons. "They have extensive competence with kitchen fronts and only use electricity from renewable sources, such as solar, wind, water and wood scraps from production." To secure the production, one more supplier was needed, and now it was obvious to the team to have renewable electricity set as a standard for the entire production chain. Sara is pleased with all the important progress that the team succeeded in accomplishing – but adds: “It’s also a very nice kitchen front that you can personalise as you like. Classic or modern – it’s up to you."