Canada's Greenest Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 48
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CANADA'S GREENEST EMPLOYERS (2025)
IKEA Canada builds sustainability into every piece
T
here are plenty of
things that make
Geoffrey Macdonald,
CFO of IKEA
Canada, proud to be a
local leader of the global home
furnishing giant. The key for him,
he says, is the company’s
“commitment to making a better
everyday life for the many people
— those who work for us and
those we interact with.”
When I share with my
two eco-minded teenage
daughters the things IKEA
is focused on, including
sustainability, they have a
sense of pride that their dad
works at a company that
cares.
greenhouse gas emissions in half
across the IKEA value chain. And
it aims for net-zero emissions by
2050. Since 2016, the organization
has grown substantially around
the world while reducing its
climate footprint by more than 30
per cent.
There are a myriad of initiatives
in place to reach those milestones.
In Canada, EV charging is
available for customers and
co-workers at 14 of the company’s
stores. “We have also invested
significantly in EV chargers for
trucks,” says Macdonald. “In
December 2024, IKEA Canada
made 38 per cent of all home
deliveries by EV, and it is our
ambition to reach 64 per cent by
August 2025.”
Meanwhile, the organization
operates two wind farms in
Alberta and has rooftop solar
installations on more than half of
its stores. It also has a “sell-back”
program whereby customers can
bring eligible, gently used IKEA
items they no longer want back to
stores, receiving a retail credit
while making those products
available to buyers looking for a
deal through its “as-is”
marketplace.
Macdonald notes that all IKEA
Canada employees are tasked with
sustainability, “because it’s a core
value in every aspect of our
business. For every team member,
whether part- or full-time, it’s
embedded. And that really helps
generate the concerted effort we
need to achieve our goals.”
Marjorie Skinner, a service
execution team leader at IKEA
Canada’s Burlington, Ont. store,
says being part of the IKEA social
and environmental vision is a
huge boon. Last year Skinner, who
studied conservation biology
before joining the company,
became part of a co-worker group
focused on sustainability.
“We looked at everything, from
our waste diversion to how we’re
using our energy, and how we’re
demonstrating sustainability to
our customers,” she says. “That
project has continued into this
year.
“When I first joined IKEA, I had
some reservations because many
large companies face challenges
— Geoffrey Macdonald
CFO
Sustainability is a central facet
of that mandate. And for
Macdonald, that has yielded some
very personal rewards. “When I
share with my two eco-minded
teenage daughters the things
IKEA is focused on, including
sustainability, they have a sense of
pride that their dad works at a
company that cares,” he says.
“It’s super-important for me to
have a positive impact from a
professional perspective, but also
act as a good role model for my
kids. They get to see that there is
hope.”
IKEA Canada's sustainability
goals are ambitious. On the global
level, the company is committed to
accelerating its climate actions by
2030, which means cutting its
Every employee at IKEA Canada plays an important role in helping to achieve sustainability goals.
