Al-Futtaim IKEA, a regional Swedish home furnishing retailer, recently unveiled a 30-meter-long community table to celebrate Dubai Design Week.
Made from used furniture that would otherwise be diverted to landfill, the table was open for public use between November 7th and the 12th in Dubai Design District.
It was designed and curated by IKEA designers and co-created with Adimas Bayu, an illustrator and upcoming doodle artist, along with Grade 5 and Grade 6 students of the Universal American School.
Al-Futtaim IKEA shared that this project aligns with its broader sustainability and circularity objectives: it aims to become a circular climate-positive business by reducing more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the IKEA value chain emits by 2030.
Vinod Jayan, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim IKEA in UAE, Qatar, Oman and Egypt, said: “At Al-Futtaim IKEA, sustainability is one of the most important pillars that sets the foundation for what we do. We’re on a mission to make sustainability accessible to all, ensuring that sustainable living is not a luxury but a choice everyone can afford. For example, by changing to IKEA LED bulbs, we save 80% energy as compared to conventional bulbs. By using IKEA showers and taps, we can save up to 40% water with the special inbuilt aerator.”
“As we craft this community table, IKEA’s mission is crystal clear: we’re championing Circularity. Our approach for designing and developing IKEA home furnishing products is to ensure that they integrate good function, beautiful form of long-lasting quality, while also securing sustainability and low price. We want to not only encourage people to protect the planet but also fosters a sense of community amongst artists. Together, we worked to inspire others to craft affordable, creative pieces off used and unwanted furniture,” he added.
Al-Futtaim IKEA has also launched a Maker Space at Dubai Design District. This environment showcased IKEA’s sustainable furniture range, providing consumers with hands-on education on the functionality of its eco-conscious products, and also offered workshops.