IKEA plans to start selling spare parts - how the new scheme will work

Swedish furniture retailer IKEA is to start selling spare parts for its furniture in a bid to become more sustainable.

The idea is to allow customers to fix broken furniture items, as well as update old furniture with new covers and new table legs to expand the lifespan of products.

Items including sofa legs and arm rests will be put up for sale, in addition to the nuts and bolts currently offered for free.

The plans are currently in an early stage, with no launch date announced yet, according to the Financial Times.

IKEA push for sustainability

The plan to start selling spare parts is one of several ideas to make IKEA more sustainable as a company.

The retailer’s chief sustainability officer said it is testing various products for the part selling, and that the company suspects the plan’s impact on new furniture sales would be “limited”.

Late last year, IKEA launched its ‘buy back’ scheme, allowing shoppers to return unwanted items in return for vouchers to spend in store. The offer applied to furniture including bookcases, chairs, stools and dining tables. Products which were unable to be resold will then be recycled.

IKEA also said that, in 2020, it had reached its target of sourcing more than 98 per cent of its wood from recycling or responsibly managed forests.