Annual Review FY22

Read the full review here.

In FY22, we saw global crises multiply and their effects compound. The climate emergency, coronavirus pandemic, war, and inflation affected people across the world. But in times of crisis, it’s still people who live in vulnerable and marginalised communities who suffer most.   

At IKEA Social Entrepreneurship we believe that social entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in improving livelihoods and addressing social and environmental challenges. So we continue the work started a decade ago, expanding our support for social entrepreneurs and deepening our social business partnerships to create positive social impact both inside and outside the IKEA value chain. 

Contributing to a fair and equal world 

We not only work to improve livelihoods, but also bring valuable learnings to the IKEA business, contributing to our overarching commitment to sustainability and inclusivity. 

Under the IKEA sustainability strategy, the fair and equal commitments include respect for human and children’s rights, the provision and support of decent and meaningful work, and the pursuit of equality, diversity and inclusion. In 2022, the fair and equal ambition was revised to further the IKEA contribution to resilient societies through advocacy and action on human rights due diligence and responsible wage practices, and by expanding our work with social entrepreneurs.  

Enabling and strengthening social entrepreneurs 

Over FY22, we supported 101 social enterprises across 26 countries and partnered with 11 social businesses in IKEA production across home furnishing and food products to create 10 global social business products. We also launched our first global social business collection, VÅRDANDE, with unique products from five social business suppliers in Southeast Asia. The scale of the project allowed the new partners, Saitex, Classical Handmade Products and Spun, along with existing partners, Ramesh Flowers and Doi Tung, to secure job opportunities for people in rural areas and marginalised groups across Asia 

To address the effects of climate change and the war in Ukraine, we launched two funds. The Yunus Social Business fund invests in social enterprises in the waste sector in India, while the NESsT Refugee Employment Initiative is focused on creating employment opportunities for refugees in Poland and Romania. 

Continuing the IKEA spirit of entrepreneurship  

With “togetherness”, “caring for people and planet” and “lead by example” among the IKEA company values, co-worker engagement with social entrepreneurs remains an integral component of our programmes. In FY22, over 160 IKEA co-workers participated enthusiastically in our initiatives, sharing their business knowledge and insights as thought partners, mentors and coaches for social entrepreneurs, with 22 facilitating group training sessions. 

We’re excited to share our 4th Annual Review, where you can read more about our methods, initiatives and impact — for social entrepreneurs, IKEA customers, co-workers, and our global community. 

Read the full review here.

Read the IKEA Sustainability Report here.