I still have my bed that I bought from IKEA 11 years ago. It has moved four times and is still in excellent shape. So, don't just ditch your IKEA furniture because it's not 'convenient' to move it. Just be careful.
I think there is a world of difference in the quality and moveability of their products, my bed is a second-hand Ikea bed as well and has lasted several moves, but I see other types of furniture not holding up in the same way, like bookshelves of tables. Overall, furniture not made from solid wood, but plywood are made to last as long, but with that being said of course we should be careful with our furniture no matter where they are from (one of my point here was simply that Ikea's business model depends on our furniture breaking).
Some extra screws make a lot of IKEA furniture usable after a rough move. But I've noticed that a lot depends on the price at IKEA. If you purchase their more expensive lines, they typically last longer. I have more IKEA furniture than I care to admit, but wouldn't buy there again.
I totally agree the furniture my family and I have from ikea is from early 2005 just months after ikea open in my state and it is all still in perfect condition
Ikea furniture is super easy to find second hand. If there is something you want, search the item name in your local Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc. instead of buying it new. Save money, divert waste from landfill, and contribute to the local economy. Win-win-win! Thanks for the great video Gittemary.👏
Ikea furniture is responsible for large scale deforestation in Transilvania, Romania. To cover their tracks they work with 3rd party companies who actually do the reforestation itself, so their "hands are clean". This ain't heresay or a presumption, just for the record, its a fact well know in my region. So Ikea is a big NO for me.
It would be lovely if IKEA designed their furniture to be pulled apart and put together again without losing stability. I did take my IKEA wardrobe with me when I moved, but the parts just don't sit together as well as they did when I assembled it the first time. I will discard it the next time I move, as I'm already worried about it falling apart. Regarding people leaving their furniture on the street, it happens to vintage furniture too. It is so sad to see a piece made out of solid wood just stand in the rain, when it could have been used for 100 years more.
Hello :) an idea to maybe take into consideration when you do move out. You could see if the new renters would be interested in your wardrobe. When I moved, I noticed a lot of the people looking to rent where interested in the big Pax wardrobe we had. And it made sense: we would have taken it apart to move it to our new place, and the new people would most likely have bought almost the same one to put in the place. That’s why we talked and agreed to sell it for cheaper. A good deal for everyone :)
@@iwantobeapanda Unfortunately, that's not how things work in many rent apartments in Denmark - according to our contract everything must be cleaned out and the walls must be painted. It's also not always possible to arrange a meeting before the old renters move out - we only got a chance to see the apartment after the apartment was already empty.
Oh thats too bad! I was thinking the same: maybe the next renters will buy it from you. Here in the Netherlands its very common to take over things like floors, curtains, big closets, even sofa’s or tables from the previous renters. It saves everybody time and money.
I would strongly recommend adding longer screws that are purchased from any hardware store, not the Ikea bolts. I added these to my pax storage system and it really really helped out!
One thing I like about IKEA is that most of the furniture is pretty timeless, contrary to fast fashion I think. I still have things from IKEA that I bought years and years ago because it’s white and goes with everything.
Absolutely, several of the second-hand pieces I have at my place are white Ikea furniture, like my desk, and I hope that I am able to have it for many years to come
People who regard the hideous Billy shelf as timeless are mentally ill. Also Ikea limits their colour choices down to shameful christian white, goth black and blood red. And why do all their bed frames have a headboard?
@@Offensive_Username the "hideous" book closets are actually VERY VERY good. You can paint them or put different wallpaper on the insides, but, really, I haven't been able to get my hands on different bookshelves that actually don't bend or break with the so many books I have and love to read. And they last already a long time. I wasn't in a sustainable journey back then, but I already have them for 9 years now and they are still going very strong 😍. I moved three times already and well, they are still there. I don't care that they look "boring", they are very efficient! Holding my shit load of books. But I would never again buy one new, ofc, since I tend to buy everything second-hand.
can I just say that out of all environmental NGOs, WWF is the one I just can't bring myself to trust, and even before being so much into environmentalism and sustainability as I am now, I always felt like they did a lot of sketchy business. It would be interesting to see a video on NGOs as well!!
@@miraggg I have never donated to them, and yet they send me a ton of paper every few years. Address labels and notepads. While it's all nice stuff, I don't want it.
There is a documentary on Netflix called broken. One of the episode's talk about ikea in the impact of fast furniture. I would highly recommend you watch it.
I have multiple ikea pieces and the have all lasted over 10 years now, and that's with daily use. When I moved, I didnt dismantle the furniture to move it, I just moved it (a little more carefully). Appreciate all the research and I think that's useful. The part where we think it's throw away, well that's on us to get over. H&M clothes fall apart with normal use and care.
@@Offensive_Username Yeah I think of "fast fashion" as a pretty huge category as far as durability goes. H&M is one I think of specifically that just doesnt hold up as well yo washing. I have a couple fast fashion tshirts from target for example, that have held up for years, wearing them constantly. Feels like a super mixed bag
It you can afford it, don’t go for the cheapest stuff in IKEA. The pieces you need to pay for little bit more tend to(though it’s not always case, read reviews) stand for much longer. Thrifting is of course best idea if you have the time, but I had some IKEA stuff that lasted me 10+ years. Most of them didn’t though.
Yes! We have the hemnes range in our living room and it has moved twice wonderfully and is still super sturdy! But the kallax and basic white stuff, broke when we took it apart a second time.
I have a birch wood IKEA table I've had for about 20 years, and several wood bedside tables that I've used as chairs, stepping stools, bookshelves, and as the base for a free standing kitchen cabinet, that was bought in the 80's and has been in constant use since. What they have in common is obviously that they're whole wood and small enough to move without disassembling
Very nice video. Just want to add one not so little detail, the fact that IKEA is in hot water in Romania, do to the fact that they were buying illegal wood (adding to the massive deforestation). It's like wanting to buy a new Ferrari, you know how expensive it is, but instead you go to a shady guy and offer him 1000$ for a brand new Ferrari, you get it and then play dumb when told that it's stolen. Investigations are still on going, but they have little to no chance to win in court (i hope..).
I think it's still about peoples attitudes towards what they consume. If people appreciated the cheap product as much as they did something they spent a lot on, their consumption of it would be different. If you look after it it can still be just as nice as something that costs more, it might genuinely not last as long as a more expensive piece, which would cause more consumption, but people discarding furniture with nothing wrong with it is a people problem i think...
I tend to focus on how companies, like Ikea, have created this consumer behavior for their own benefit. Of course, we as the consumer can do so much to change how we consume, and we should, but at the same time, I think it is important to recognize that companies nudge consumers into a certain pattern through cheap prices, availability, and convenience, which is a big root of the problem 🌿 ofc acknowledging the problems in the industry and acknowledging consumers power are not mutually exclusive 💚
@@Gittemary yeah, I get what your saying, it's kind of like brainwashing. And in the previous generations people didn't consume as much because it was more expensive, however the cheaper stuff has given access to demographics that may not have had access otherwise, so I'm torn... tackling both is good, and there are lot's of minimalist channels tackling what I'm talking about.
I can't believe what people put on the streets in Aarhus! I've taken so much in to be used myself, and I've also resold stuff, as you've done. Monitoring the trash on move-out weekends is my new side hustle.
I own five pieces of Ikea furniture that I bought back in the 1980s. It's been moved twice. Except for the white finish getting dingy, and one drawer that started to bend (because I over-stuffed it), it's still perfectly usable. At the time I bought it because I have an OCD problem using other people's old furniture. I always smell things that other people can't, or it doesn't bother them. I was grateful to be able to have new furniture, even if I had to put it together myself. I don't think I will ever replace it. We're both pretty old now.
There is an ikea documentary where the workers are caught stealing/cutting trees in the middle of the night where they don't have permission to cut. They don't care if areas of land are protected from deforestation.
Thank you for this video. I love when you put out videos like this, that encourage us to dig deeper. So often I used to fall for these vague sustainable descriptions, but now I take time to research everything. Thank you!
Before I go into my long take, I’d like to say that once again, ya killed it. I always really appreciate the time and research that goes into your videos. 😊 Unless it’s broken and beyond repair, I hold on to furniture forever. We have enough space to store it in our garage (for now) till a new purpose for it comes up. We’ve have a terrible press board bookcase for 9 years that has had many lives in our household. One issue we’ve struggle with is couches. We have kids and animals and the couch is a big part of play time, and we’ve gone through 2 thrift store ones and one brand new (that lasted less time than the thriftstore ones). The best couch we’ve been able to find online is actually an IKEA couch. It has a lot of praise from people with kids and animals. However we also live in an area they don’t deliver to, which is frustrating. We also don’t have the capability to transport a couch if we bought one from the thrift store (and no one we know has a truck). We tried building our own couches and, it is definitely outside of our current capabilities. I also live somewhere with high turn over (military base) and people just leave really great stuff on the curb. We’ve gotten dressers, a high chair, 2 big mirrors, tables, work benches, etc.
I know you’re not a parent but have you ever looked into “sustainable” toys? I would so so so love a series or video on that. I love buying my kids wooden toys but the brands make me wonder if it’s green washing. Much love and appreciation 💙💙💙
Wow, I 100% appreciate all of the research you do for all of your videos. I learned so much from this one. Honestly A lot of the furniture in my apartment is IKEA, because they’re simple pieces that I could afford. Not a fan of “fast” furniture and getting rid of good pieces when they still work. I’m happy to say some of my pieces are about 10 years old, and all the others are going to last just as long, whatever it takes.
(Not related to this video specifically) Wow, I am so happy the algorithm has sent me your way! I live in America, but my boyfriend is in Denmark and it's been so hard for me to help him find sustainable brands and resources because everything I do is so location dependent. Thank you for adding a Danish voice to the sustainable influencer crowd!
I think conflating the idea that sustainable has to be expensive is a doomed paradigm. Unless sustainability is affordable it will remain the hollow check box of the wealthier
I worked for IKEA for a short time, and I really like IKEA’s accessibility and affordability (and style) and I’m still glad you made this video. Knowing from experience that IKEA actually treats its employees well in the US makes me have hope they might do more for their sustainability goal than would be best for their bottom line, but I guess we’ll see!
Very interesting to hear your view on Ikea! In the Netherlands (I don't know if this is in other countries as well) but here they have a commercial on tv about how good they are doing in regards to sustainability. I was talking about it with my brother and mom and we were all a bit skeptical like are they really that sustainable? I guess not. Good to know!
Omg wow, thank you so much for this video and the Insights!!! I recently made a video about how bad fast fashion is for the environment, but I would have never thought about IKEA! 😱
Uhh, very intersting topic. Must admit I really liked Ikea and back in Germany 5 years ago the whole flat consists of 90% Ikea furniture. It was affordable and looked great, but some shelves would not survive 2 moves into different flats. Now I have been living in Scotland since 2016 and I love all the vintage furniture from 2nd hand or thrift shops soooo much more. The only Ikea furniture I have is an armchair which I really like. However some people (like my bf) doesn't like vintage and "granny style" furniture, so he would rather buy Ikea because it is affordable. I think though that Ikea furniture became more pricey over the last few years. There are other furniture shops here in Edinburgh but those things are way more expensive and buying furniture online at some random online shop or Ebay probably supports other fast fashion furniture companies. The Bargain Corner in Ikea can be awesome for cheaper treasures. Then occasionally I would only buy candles there or plants and terracotta plant pots. Then I've swapped over to buy more sustainable soy wax candles every few months online only. They are more expensive, but I could never find out what Ikea candles were made from.
I sold an IKEA couch(from 2012) & 2 side tables(from 1998) to my neighbors. It hit or miss on how long their things last. I do still have cork trivets & small drawer unit(from 1998).
IKEA used to be this sort of "we just go there cuz we like to" kind of place when I was a kid, especially because the whole thing being like a maze amazed (get it?) me. But the more I've seen it's fast furniture way of business over my almost 3 decades, the more I've grown to despise it because I feel like getting furniture from them might as well make the room be straight out of their pamphletes. This is a view that has really cemented itself now that I have my own apartment: if I buy anything at all from them, it's honestly for the essential function it provides rather than aesthetic. Examples: The rollable wastebins in my kitchen and Ivar shelves for my basement and pantry system.
I literally went to IKEA today because my dad needed a ride and I was asking myself the question "is this sustainable?" - I get home and I see that you uploaded this. Wow. Thank you for the video!
Agreed. Also, despite their efforts to promote repair and maintenance, many of their products are made with such cheap particle board and other materials that they come apart after just a few years and are hard to repair. I have purchased many furniture items secondhand in the U.S., and it's rare to see any IKEA furniture on the secondhand market that is worth buying. Most of it is in pretty poor condition (usually wobbly, and with damage to the particle board) because it's not built to last. So when shopping secondhand, I prioritize buying items made from solid wood that can be refinished for many years to come!
Also (replying to myself) fast furniture and fast fashion and fast beauty are only cheap because they are able to ignore all of the externalities of their production -- they push off the cost of environmental pollution, deforestation, human rights abuses, low wages, etc., onto society and the planet at large. Those costs are not accounted for in the cost of the product. It's often bananas to think about what something *should* cost, knowing everything that goes into its production and distribution, compared to how much it does cost.
An ikea is actually opening in my city and I am only excited for that because I need furciture paint to cover the weird smelling varnish of an old nightstand
Thank you for this balanced view on IKEA. I have shopped at IKEA many times, always thinking that I was not hurting the environment. But there is no denying that particle board furniture will never last as long as solid furniture. You don’t see people “passing down” IKEA “heirlooms”, do you? When we are so used to instant gratification, it is hard to be patient and keep looking for thrifted or second hand items of higher quality, or to afford the more expensive, locally produced products. I need to be more patient and create less waste.
Late to this video, but one thing that brings me back to IKEA more often is the modularity of many of their things. Being able to reuse what I already have by rearranging, to add only one or two new parts instead of a new solution and such are a big plus for me. As is having washable and replacable covers for my couch and similar items. Far from ideal, of course. But until I have the funds to get everything custom made to fit my criteria for modularity and such, I will buy the odd thing there every now and then.
While I’ve shopped at IKEA in the past, the quality just isn’t there (along with all their green washing). I have the ability to avoid IKEA now and going forward so that’s my plan. The docuseries Broken discusses IKEA and I highly recommend it. Love your impact series videos like this one!
I had to rewind to listen once again... 1 per cent of cotton grown in the world. OMG! OK.... Here in Hungary, although IKEA exists and probably works with the same business model, it is not considered a cheap furniture retailer. More of a design furniture for young people. We have our bedroom furniture from IKEA and duvet covers. 3 sets, that's it. As we moved 10 years ago, we kind of settled in, and I just don't go to IKEA anymore. I used to, when I was younger and was building up my household. I would do it differently now, but some pieces of furniture I still have I bought like 20-25 years ago. Also paper magazine holders. They are kind of vintage now. On the rare occasions I go to IKEA, I find myself enchanted by the colorful duvet covers, and almost lured into buying another set. But then I think, where would I want to store it? I know friends who are overwhelmed and cannot say no, and feel the need to always buy a new set. Then they come to a point of "no more place to store", and declutter. That's my time, to receive hand-me-down items from them. :)
I'm curious how you get thrifted or Facebook Marketplace furniture home. Not having a car, it stops me from getting second hand because there's no delivery.
Whenever I get my hands on second hand furniture, I found that if you give a person a bit more money they are willing to deliver it to you (of course depending how far away you live from them) or with small items I just got on the bus or used an Uber.
@@AnnikaWithAk yes exactly! I often ask if the person selling can deliver the piece if I pay extra 😊🌿 I have also taken the bus with a mirror and a dresser once lol
Most of my furniture is IKEA when I think about it 🤔 most of them are second hand, I just bought new covers for my thrifted arm chair and sofa and I got my bed new like 10 years ago... 😅
Sustainability in furniture isn't something many people think about, I certainly didn't at first, until last year. A century ago, if you bought a dining set, it was quality & your set for life, it didn't change with fashion seasons. Then it was passed on to your children.
Agreed IKEA could be more sustainable by not promoting buying more then needed or not sell drinks in despicable cups. On the other hand, I’ve heard IKEA is going to use a kind of fungi to replace the use of styrofoam. They only sell LED lightbulbs (in NL, EU ad least). I’m hoping they will do away with gashop’s in preference to induction in the future. And they sell solarpanels. All pretty cool, I think. And selling furniture in flat packaging also reduces CO2 emissions in transport compared to pre-assembled furniture. In regards to the fast-furniture side of things. This is also dependent on us as customers. My parents had a couple of BILLY bookcases that changed house with them 3 times and still held up fine. IKEA is also working towards buying back old, still usable, furniture and reselling it. Yet there are still a lot of ways to improve!
Honestly I'm starting to getting tired of the rethoric of "cheap stuff is just unstainable". It's true, they are not produced sustainable, but MOST people DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES to discard them as every single sustainability RUclipsr say. I'm not even poor but I keep my HM jeans for years and Ikea furniture well... For life? Literally we have Ikea furniture in my house since I was born in 1998. I'm not defending this companies nor us consumers, but I think the argument of disposability is so flawed and well, classist and elitist
I'm really surprised to hear people dumping their assembled and perfect toy usable furniture. I know there's a group of consumers who don't like assembling furniture, but like the IKEA design. They tend to buy gently used secondhand IKEA furniture. It's fairly easy to sell, I found (I bought IKEA furniture when temporarily being relocated to another country). I guess it's all in people's attitude, which is good news cos that's more easily influenced than a large corporate looking for profit.
Ikea is working on becoming a circular business and they are also working to improve their sourcing strategies. I have to give them their credit for being trailblazers especially here in the US in terms of acknowledging their social and environmental responsibilities and promoting ethical consumption. But the bottom line is until they are able to deliver on their ideals, the negative impact of their mass production will continue to undermine any environmental or social progress them make in the world.
They’re preserving forests and endangered turtle habitats in Georgia and met their 2020 goal of more than 98% of wood being either Forest Stewardship Council certified or recycled, at least in the US. They’re doing some good things.
I am surprised that you soft pedalled your position on IKEA. They are a fast furniture company like H &M is a fast fashion company. Both are trying to greenwash their business models. I understand that no one is perfect but we should definitely discourage these types of companies. Personally I no longer shop at Ikea.
Neither do I, and I think I laid out tons of reasons why, and how the things Ikea is during is not at all up to par whatsoever. That being said it can be hard to portray information like this in a way that lives up to everyone's expectations, I hope you see what I want to say in the video 🌿🙌
We own two Ikea sideboards we got second hand for free and after moving three times they are falling apart. We tried to fix it a few times, but tbh Ikea is cheaply produced and not very long lasting.
That's what bothers me with fast fashion also. They don't value the items if it's cheap. The bags you can take at the entry at Primark... And then they draw them through the whole shop behind them through the dirt and the bags have already holes and then the clothes are dirty. And somebody made them and put an effort into, to make it's living. I am so bothered about such a behaviour 😑... Cannot set a foot in such shops anymore...
Are hospitals sustainable? I would like a video on that topic. We know about the latex gloves, face masks and silicone catheters. Little do people know that the meals for the hundreds of patients every day come prepackaged in plastic containers, are steamed or microwaved, neatly arranged on a plate so you don't suspect anything, then the plastic is thrown away.
i am making a college project on ikea it would be great if i could get some insight from you and anyone looking to this comment please that would be great
The problem with equating Ikea's affordablility to privileged people discarding it is that this is an elitist correlation. Most people can't afford to just throw away or discard furniture even at Ikea prices every time they move or want something new so if you're using people of privilege throwing things out wastfully as a measure of Ikea's sustainability that is also elitist.
@@ambihextrous That was for sure not my intention, I hope it is also clear that I seek to express that people should not feel bad if their only choice is buying from IKEA - just like no one should feel bad if their only option is to buy fast fashion. But independent consumers and availability, it should be okay to criticise a company for their business model, this was not a critique of consumer behaviour, but rather how IKEA nudges and reinforce certain consumer behaviour. Could you clarify when I was elitist? That would be really helpful.
@@Gittemary imo totally not elitist. I even know people who are definitely not elitist and they just change furniture every 3 years or so, just because they got tired of their current ones... 😑 It's sad, so sad. I don't understand why people do that, and then a few months later they'll complain that they're out of money, ... I also know people who don't ever buy second-hand. It's really... I don't know, no words for it.
So glad she doesn’t say “...and I’m so happy that you wanted to join me today.” anymore. She used to say it in the beginning of every single video and it was just extremely annoying.
One thing that me as Belarusian have to add about Ikea - their furniture was allegedly produced by prisoners in Belarusian penal colonies under forced labor conditions. And it has been a thing for more than 10 years at this point. And especially for last 4 years, when the amount of political prisoners in my country is conatantly increasing, it is heartbreaking. People are being tortured and killed in these colonies. Please, avoid Ikea if you have this opportunity 💔
I still have my bed that I bought from IKEA 11 years ago. It has moved four times and is still in excellent shape. So, don't just ditch your IKEA furniture because it's not 'convenient' to move it. Just be careful.
I think there is a world of difference in the quality and moveability of their products, my bed is a second-hand Ikea bed as well and has lasted several moves, but I see other types of furniture not holding up in the same way, like bookshelves of tables. Overall, furniture not made from solid wood, but plywood are made to last as long, but with that being said of course we should be careful with our furniture no matter where they are from (one of my point here was simply that Ikea's business model depends on our furniture breaking).
Some extra screws make a lot of IKEA furniture usable after a rough move. But I've noticed that a lot depends on the price at IKEA. If you purchase their more expensive lines, they typically last longer. I have more IKEA furniture than I care to admit, but wouldn't buy there again.
I totally agree the furniture my family and I have from ikea is from early 2005 just months after ikea open in my state and it is all still in perfect condition
Ikea furniture is super easy to find second hand. If there is something you want, search the item name in your local Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc. instead of buying it new. Save money, divert waste from landfill, and contribute to the local economy. Win-win-win!
Thanks for the great video Gittemary.👏
Absolutely, it is super easily available pre-loved ! Thank you for the support 🌿💪
jep - doing that with one of their lamps :)
100% agree! It works for every 2nd hand online shop, it's perfect
Second-hand Ikea furniture can be found online, but most thrift shops don't accept any because it hardly has any resale value.
Ikea furniture is responsible for large scale deforestation in Transilvania, Romania. To cover their tracks they work with 3rd party companies who actually do the reforestation itself, so their "hands are clean". This ain't heresay or a presumption, just for the record, its a fact well know in my region. So Ikea is a big NO for me.
I saw a documentary about it and cried my eyes out. Im from Slovakia and they do the same sh*t to Tatra moutains. Its heartbreaking.
@@TristessaEm Hi what is the name of documentary? A inak ahoj :)
Came here to say this. So sneaky. A no from me as well
@@karinkebluskova1403 Ahoj :) Netflix - Broken, bola tam časť o IKEA a ich praktikách.
Wow this is insane, thank you so much for sharing this information!
It would be lovely if IKEA designed their furniture to be pulled apart and put together again without losing stability. I did take my IKEA wardrobe with me when I moved, but the parts just don't sit together as well as they did when I assembled it the first time. I will discard it the next time I move, as I'm already worried about it falling apart.
Regarding people leaving their furniture on the street, it happens to vintage furniture too. It is so sad to see a piece made out of solid wood just stand in the rain, when it could have been used for 100 years more.
Hello :) an idea to maybe take into consideration when you do move out.
You could see if the new renters would be interested in your wardrobe. When I moved, I noticed a lot of the people looking to rent where interested in the big Pax wardrobe we had. And it made sense: we would have taken it apart to move it to our new place, and the new people would most likely have bought almost the same one to put in the place.
That’s why we talked and agreed to sell it for cheaper. A good deal for everyone :)
@@iwantobeapanda Unfortunately, that's not how things work in many rent apartments in Denmark - according to our contract everything must be cleaned out and the walls must be painted. It's also not always possible to arrange a meeting before the old renters move out - we only got a chance to see the apartment after the apartment was already empty.
Oh thats too bad! I was thinking the same: maybe the next renters will buy it from you. Here in the Netherlands its very common to take over things like floors, curtains, big closets, even sofa’s or tables from the previous renters. It saves everybody time and money.
Hence why prefer the industrial look and wardrobes made of metal.
I would strongly recommend adding longer screws that are purchased from any hardware store, not the Ikea bolts. I added these to my pax storage system and it really really helped out!
One thing I like about IKEA is that most of the furniture is pretty timeless, contrary to fast fashion I think. I still have things from IKEA that I bought years and years ago because it’s white and goes with everything.
Absolutely, several of the second-hand pieces I have at my place are white Ikea furniture, like my desk, and I hope that I am able to have it for many years to come
People who regard the hideous Billy shelf as timeless are mentally ill. Also Ikea limits their colour choices down to shameful christian white, goth black and blood red. And why do all their bed frames have a headboard?
@@Offensive_Username the "hideous" book closets are actually VERY VERY good. You can paint them or put different wallpaper on the insides, but, really, I haven't been able to get my hands on different bookshelves that actually don't bend or break with the so many books I have and love to read. And they last already a long time. I wasn't in a sustainable journey back then, but I already have them for 9 years now and they are still going very strong 😍. I moved three times already and well, they are still there. I don't care that they look "boring", they are very efficient! Holding my shit load of books. But I would never again buy one new, ofc, since I tend to buy everything second-hand.
can I just say that out of all environmental NGOs, WWF is the one I just can't bring myself to trust, and even before being so much into environmentalism and sustainability as I am now, I always felt like they did a lot of sketchy business. It would be interesting to see a video on NGOs as well!!
Absolutely, that would be super interesting! 🙌
@@miraggg I have never donated to them, and yet they send me a ton of paper every few years. Address labels and notepads. While it's all nice stuff, I don't want it.
Greenpeace is equally bad.
There is a documentary on Netflix called broken. One of the episode's talk about ikea in the impact of fast furniture. I would highly recommend you watch it.
Yes I have watched this too and would never have an ikea items in my home again
I have multiple ikea pieces and the have all lasted over 10 years now, and that's with daily use. When I moved, I didnt dismantle the furniture to move it, I just moved it (a little more carefully). Appreciate all the research and I think that's useful. The part where we think it's throw away, well that's on us to get over. H&M clothes fall apart with normal use and care.
I bought a t-shirt six years ago from a fast-fashion retailer and it's still wearable.
@@Offensive_Username Yeah I think of "fast fashion" as a pretty huge category as far as durability goes. H&M is one I think of specifically that just doesnt hold up as well yo washing. I have a couple fast fashion tshirts from target for example, that have held up for years, wearing them constantly. Feels like a super mixed bag
It you can afford it, don’t go for the cheapest stuff in IKEA. The pieces you need to pay for little bit more tend to(though it’s not always case, read reviews) stand for much longer. Thrifting is of course best idea if you have the time, but I had some IKEA stuff that lasted me 10+ years.
Most of them didn’t though.
Yes! We have the hemnes range in our living room and it has moved twice wonderfully and is still super sturdy! But the kallax and basic white stuff, broke when we took it apart a second time.
I have a birch wood IKEA table I've had for about 20 years, and several wood bedside tables that I've used as chairs, stepping stools, bookshelves, and as the base for a free standing kitchen cabinet, that was bought in the 80's and has been in constant use since. What they have in common is obviously that they're whole wood and small enough to move without disassembling
Very nice video. Just want to add one not so little detail, the fact that IKEA is in hot water in Romania, do to the fact that they were buying illegal wood (adding to the massive deforestation). It's like wanting to buy a new Ferrari, you know how expensive it is, but instead you go to a shady guy and offer him 1000$ for a brand new Ferrari, you get it and then play dumb when told that it's stolen. Investigations are still on going, but they have little to no chance to win in court (i hope..).
I read this as well. Never going to IKEA again!
I think it's still about peoples attitudes towards what they consume. If people appreciated the cheap product as much as they did something they spent a lot on, their consumption of it would be different. If you look after it it can still be just as nice as something that costs more, it might genuinely not last as long as a more expensive piece, which would cause more consumption, but people discarding furniture with nothing wrong with it is a people problem i think...
I tend to focus on how companies, like Ikea, have created this consumer behavior for their own benefit. Of course, we as the consumer can do so much to change how we consume, and we should, but at the same time, I think it is important to recognize that companies nudge consumers into a certain pattern through cheap prices, availability, and convenience, which is a big root of the problem 🌿 ofc acknowledging the problems in the industry and acknowledging consumers power are not mutually exclusive 💚
@@Gittemary yeah, I get what your saying, it's kind of like brainwashing. And in the previous generations people didn't consume as much because it was more expensive, however the cheaper stuff has given access to demographics that may not have had access otherwise, so I'm torn... tackling both is good, and there are lot's of minimalist channels tackling what I'm talking about.
I can't believe what people put on the streets in Aarhus! I've taken so much in to be used myself, and I've also resold stuff, as you've done. Monitoring the trash on move-out weekends is my new side hustle.
Yes!!!! Frekin love new videos from you! I always learn something new about sustainability ❤️
I own five pieces of Ikea furniture that I bought back in the 1980s. It's been moved twice. Except for the white finish getting dingy, and one drawer that started to bend (because I over-stuffed it), it's still perfectly usable. At the time I bought it because I have an OCD problem using other people's old furniture. I always smell things that other people can't, or it doesn't bother them. I was grateful to be able to have new furniture, even if I had to put it together myself. I don't think I will ever replace it. We're both pretty old now.
There is an ikea documentary where the workers are caught stealing/cutting trees in the middle of the night where they don't have permission to cut. They don't care if areas of land are protected from deforestation.
The price of cheap furniture tho 😭
Thank you for this video. I love when you put out videos like this, that encourage us to dig deeper. So often I used to fall for these vague sustainable descriptions, but now I take time to research everything. Thank you!
So good, thank You. Could you do something about the sustainability and best way to deal with paint and acryls and stains to up cycle old furniture?
Before I go into my long take, I’d like to say that once again, ya killed it. I always really appreciate the time and research that goes into your videos. 😊
Unless it’s broken and beyond repair, I hold on to furniture forever. We have enough space to store it in our garage (for now) till a new purpose for it comes up. We’ve have a terrible press board bookcase for 9 years that has had many lives in our household.
One issue we’ve struggle with is couches. We have kids and animals and the couch is a big part of play time, and we’ve gone through 2 thrift store ones and one brand new (that lasted less time than the thriftstore ones). The best couch we’ve been able to find online is actually an IKEA couch. It has a lot of praise from people with kids and animals. However we also live in an area they don’t deliver to, which is frustrating. We also don’t have the capability to transport a couch if we bought one from the thrift store (and no one we know has a truck). We tried building our own couches and, it is definitely outside of our current capabilities.
I also live somewhere with high turn over (military base) and people just leave really great stuff on the curb. We’ve gotten dressers, a high chair, 2 big mirrors, tables, work benches, etc.
I know you’re not a parent but have you ever looked into “sustainable” toys? I would so so so love a series or video on that. I love buying my kids wooden toys but the brands make me wonder if it’s green washing. Much love and appreciation 💙💙💙
I already see the conclusion: Lego gets the worst rating.
Wow, I 100% appreciate all of the research you do for all of your videos. I learned so much from this one. Honestly A lot of the furniture in my apartment is IKEA, because they’re simple pieces that I could afford. Not a fan of “fast” furniture and getting rid of good pieces when they still work. I’m happy to say some of my pieces are about 10 years old, and all the others are going to last just as long, whatever it takes.
(Not related to this video specifically)
Wow, I am so happy the algorithm has sent me your way! I live in America, but my boyfriend is in Denmark and it's been so hard for me to help him find sustainable brands and resources because everything I do is so location dependent. Thank you for adding a Danish voice to the sustainable influencer crowd!
Congrats for acheiving 100K gittemary! 🥳
I think conflating the idea that sustainable has to be expensive is a doomed paradigm. Unless sustainability is affordable it will remain the hollow check box of the wealthier
never been this early! First ever IKEA store is soon to open here in the Philippines. Very helpful information, Gittemary.
Omg hi! I'm so glad to see a fellow Filipino here 👋
Thank you for the support! 💚
I worked for IKEA for a short time, and I really like IKEA’s accessibility and affordability (and style) and I’m still glad you made this video.
Knowing from experience that IKEA actually treats its employees well in the US makes me have hope they might do more for their sustainability goal than would be best for their bottom line, but I guess we’ll see!
They bought up a whole forest in Georgia to preserve the habitat of some endangered turtles too, sometimes they do good things 😊
Very interesting to hear your view on Ikea! In the Netherlands (I don't know if this is in other countries as well) but here they have a commercial on tv about how good they are doing in regards to sustainability. I was talking about it with my brother and mom and we were all a bit skeptical like are they really that sustainable? I guess not. Good to know!
Omg wow, thank you so much for this video and the Insights!!! I recently made a video about how bad fast fashion is for the environment, but I would have never thought about IKEA! 😱
Uhh, very intersting topic. Must admit I really liked Ikea and back in Germany 5 years ago the whole flat consists of 90% Ikea furniture. It was affordable and looked great, but some shelves would not survive 2 moves into different flats. Now I have been living in Scotland since 2016 and I love all the vintage furniture from 2nd hand or thrift shops soooo much more. The only Ikea furniture I have is an armchair which I really like. However some people (like my bf) doesn't like vintage and "granny style" furniture, so he would rather buy Ikea because it is affordable. I think though that Ikea furniture became more pricey over the last few years. There are other furniture shops here in Edinburgh but those things are way more expensive and buying furniture online at some random online shop or Ebay probably supports other fast fashion furniture companies. The Bargain Corner in Ikea can be awesome for cheaper treasures.
Then occasionally I would only buy candles there or plants and terracotta plant pots. Then I've swapped over to buy more sustainable soy wax candles every few months online only. They are more expensive, but I could never find out what Ikea candles were made from.
I sold an IKEA couch(from 2012) & 2 side tables(from 1998) to my neighbors. It hit or miss on how long their things last. I do still have cork trivets & small drawer unit(from 1998).
IKEA used to be this sort of "we just go there cuz we like to" kind of place when I was a kid, especially because the whole thing being like a maze amazed (get it?) me. But the more I've seen it's fast furniture way of business over my almost 3 decades, the more I've grown to despise it because I feel like getting furniture from them might as well make the room be straight out of their pamphletes. This is a view that has really cemented itself now that I have my own apartment: if I buy anything at all from them, it's honestly for the essential function it provides rather than aesthetic. Examples: The rollable wastebins in my kitchen and Ivar shelves for my basement and pantry system.
I literally went to IKEA today because my dad needed a ride and I was asking myself the question "is this sustainable?" - I get home and I see that you uploaded this. Wow.
Thank you for the video!
In my country there’s no Ikea but I love watching your impact videos ☺️
great video! great arguments! and as always you are so friendly and non judgmental, i love that
Agreed. Also, despite their efforts to promote repair and maintenance, many of their products are made with such cheap particle board and other materials that they come apart after just a few years and are hard to repair. I have purchased many furniture items secondhand in the U.S., and it's rare to see any IKEA furniture on the secondhand market that is worth buying. Most of it is in pretty poor condition (usually wobbly, and with damage to the particle board) because it's not built to last. So when shopping secondhand, I prioritize buying items made from solid wood that can be refinished for many years to come!
Also (replying to myself) fast furniture and fast fashion and fast beauty are only cheap because they are able to ignore all of the externalities of their production -- they push off the cost of environmental pollution, deforestation, human rights abuses, low wages, etc., onto society and the planet at large. Those costs are not accounted for in the cost of the product. It's often bananas to think about what something *should* cost, knowing everything that goes into its production and distribution, compared to how much it does cost.
An ikea is actually opening in my city and I am only excited for that because I need furciture paint to cover the weird smelling varnish of an old nightstand
Thanks for this video, i have wondered if ikea is sustainable a few times and now i have the answer loud and clear
Yay!!!
I was just wondering when you were going to drop a new video
Every fourth day yo 👌🌿
the efforts put on this #respect
Thank you for this balanced view on IKEA. I have shopped at IKEA many times, always thinking that I was not hurting the environment. But there is no denying that particle board furniture will never last as long as solid furniture. You don’t see people “passing down” IKEA “heirlooms”, do you? When we are so used to instant gratification, it is hard to be patient and keep looking for thrifted or second hand items of higher quality, or to afford the more expensive, locally produced products. I need to be more patient and create less waste.
Late to this video, but one thing that brings me back to IKEA more often is the modularity of many of their things. Being able to reuse what I already have by rearranging, to add only one or two new parts instead of a new solution and such are a big plus for me. As is having washable and replacable covers for my couch and similar items.
Far from ideal, of course. But until I have the funds to get everything custom made to fit my criteria for modularity and such, I will buy the odd thing there every now and then.
And of course, looking to get the needed items second hand first where possible.
While I’ve shopped at IKEA in the past, the quality just isn’t there (along with all their green washing). I have the ability to avoid IKEA now and going forward so that’s my plan. The docuseries Broken discusses IKEA and I highly recommend it. Love your impact series videos like this one!
never been to an ikea, the closest one is several hours driving away. But still watching this video : p
I had to rewind to listen once again... 1 per cent of cotton grown in the world. OMG! OK.... Here in Hungary, although IKEA exists and probably works with the same business model, it is not considered a cheap furniture retailer. More of a design furniture for young people. We have our bedroom furniture from IKEA and duvet covers. 3 sets, that's it. As we moved 10 years ago, we kind of settled in, and I just don't go to IKEA anymore. I used to, when I was younger and was building up my household. I would do it differently now, but some pieces of furniture I still have I bought like 20-25 years ago. Also paper magazine holders. They are kind of vintage now. On the rare occasions I go to IKEA, I find myself enchanted by the colorful duvet covers, and almost lured into buying another set. But then I think, where would I want to store it? I know friends who are overwhelmed and cannot say no, and feel the need to always buy a new set. Then they come to a point of "no more place to store", and declutter. That's my time, to receive hand-me-down items from them. :)
What's your take on IKEA and Romanian forests with respect to sustainability?
I'm curious how you get thrifted or Facebook Marketplace furniture home. Not having a car, it stops me from getting second hand because there's no delivery.
Whenever I get my hands on second hand furniture, I found that if you give a person a bit more money they are willing to deliver it to you (of course depending how far away you live from them) or with small items I just got on the bus or used an Uber.
@@AnnikaWithAk yes exactly! I often ask if the person selling can deliver the piece if I pay extra 😊🌿 I have also taken the bus with a mirror and a dresser once lol
Most of my furniture is IKEA when I think about it 🤔 most of them are second hand, I just bought new covers for my thrifted arm chair and sofa and I got my bed new like 10 years ago... 😅
Sustainability in furniture isn't something many people think about, I certainly didn't at first, until last year. A century ago, if you bought a dining set, it was quality & your set for life, it didn't change with fashion seasons. Then it was passed on to your children.
Agreed IKEA could be more sustainable by not promoting buying more then needed or not sell drinks in despicable cups.
On the other hand, I’ve heard IKEA is going to use a kind of fungi to replace the use of styrofoam. They only sell LED lightbulbs (in NL, EU ad least). I’m hoping they will do away with gashop’s in preference to induction in the future. And they sell solarpanels. All pretty cool, I think. And selling furniture in flat packaging also reduces CO2 emissions in transport compared to pre-assembled furniture.
In regards to the fast-furniture side of things. This is also dependent on us as customers. My parents had a couple of BILLY bookcases that changed house with them 3 times and still held up fine.
IKEA is also working towards buying back old, still usable, furniture and reselling it.
Yet there are still a lot of ways to improve!
Dismantling Ikea furniture makes little sense because of the plywood :x
Yeah furniture like plywood bookshelves do not like being taken apart for sure 😂
Honestly I'm starting to getting tired of the rethoric of "cheap stuff is just unstainable". It's true, they are not produced sustainable, but MOST people DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES to discard them as every single sustainability RUclipsr say. I'm not even poor but I keep my HM jeans for years and Ikea furniture well... For life? Literally we have Ikea furniture in my house since I was born in 1998. I'm not defending this companies nor us consumers, but I think the argument of disposability is so flawed and well, classist and elitist
Every time you said something along the lines of "are you a terrible person for buying from Ikea" I was lowkey hoping you'd say yes just as a joke
Haha that would have been brilliantly surprising 😂
"Fast furniture" is also as fun to say as is "fast fashion". That isn't THAT immportant, but... just fun.
I'm really surprised to hear people dumping their assembled and perfect toy usable furniture. I know there's a group of consumers who don't like assembling furniture, but like the IKEA design. They tend to buy gently used secondhand IKEA furniture. It's fairly easy to sell, I found (I bought IKEA furniture when temporarily being relocated to another country). I guess it's all in people's attitude, which is good news cos that's more easily influenced than a large corporate looking for profit.
Ikea is working on becoming a circular business and they are also working to improve their sourcing strategies. I have to give them their credit for being trailblazers especially here in the US in terms of acknowledging their social and environmental responsibilities and promoting ethical consumption. But the bottom line is until they are able to deliver on their ideals, the negative impact of their mass production will continue to undermine any environmental or social progress them make in the world.
They’re preserving forests and endangered turtle habitats in Georgia and met their 2020 goal of more than 98% of wood being either Forest Stewardship Council certified or recycled, at least in the US. They’re doing some good things.
I love IKEA unfortunately the nearest one is 2 hours away. So unless our family makes a day of going to the city where it's located we don't go .
I am surprised that you soft pedalled your position on IKEA. They are a fast furniture company like H &M is a fast fashion company. Both are trying to greenwash their business models. I understand that no one is perfect but we should definitely discourage these types of companies. Personally I no longer shop at Ikea.
Neither do I, and I think I laid out tons of reasons why, and how the things Ikea is during is not at all up to par whatsoever. That being said it can be hard to portray information like this in a way that lives up to everyone's expectations, I hope you see what I want to say in the video 🌿🙌
@@Gittemary Thanks for clarifying.
I have never stepped in an ikea. Never felt the urge.
We own two Ikea sideboards we got second hand for free and after moving three times they are falling apart. We tried to fix it a few times, but tbh Ikea is cheaply produced and not very long lasting.
Ooooo this is gonna be juicy. IKEA does a lot of greenwashing 🤪🤪
That's what bothers me with fast fashion also. They don't value the items if it's cheap. The bags you can take at the entry at Primark... And then they draw them through the whole shop behind them through the dirt and the bags have already holes and then the clothes are dirty. And somebody made them and put an effort into, to make it's living. I am so bothered about such a behaviour 😑... Cannot set a foot in such shops anymore...
Very well said :)
IKEA quality (at lest in Spain) is sooo bad. I never buy there but I find things on the street and try to upcycle, it's really impossible :(
As long as you can afford to replace perfectly good furniture, okay. We've had ours 18 years and it's still doing fine x
I have saw easiest disabled furniture than those ikea sell. I had a sewing desk that can be put down with a 10 cents with no way to lose a screw.
Are hospitals sustainable? I would like a video on that topic. We know about the latex gloves, face masks and silicone catheters. Little do people know that the meals for the hundreds of patients every day come prepackaged in plastic containers, are steamed or microwaved, neatly arranged on a plate so you don't suspect anything, then the plastic is thrown away.
i am making a college project on ikea it would be great if i could get some insight from you and anyone looking to this comment please that would be great
IKEA is not even cheap! I try to avoid as much as possible. Second hand first, always!
business should be done right not deceiving consumer of your sustainability policy whereas you are doing the opposite
The problem with equating Ikea's affordablility to privileged people discarding it is that this is an elitist correlation. Most people can't afford to just throw away or discard furniture even at Ikea prices every time they move or want something new so if you're using people of privilege throwing things out wastfully as a measure of Ikea's sustainability that is also elitist.
This video is surprisingly elitist which is something I have not seen from Gittemary previously.😬
@@ambihextrous That was for sure not my intention, I hope it is also clear that I seek to express that people should not feel bad if their only choice is buying from IKEA - just like no one should feel bad if their only option is to buy fast fashion. But independent consumers and availability, it should be okay to criticise a company for their business model, this was not a critique of consumer behaviour, but rather how IKEA nudges and reinforce certain consumer behaviour. Could you clarify when I was elitist? That would be really helpful.
@@ambihextrous Oh gosh, overdramatic much? Don't call her video elitist. That's ridiculous.
@@Gittemary imo totally not elitist. I even know people who are definitely not elitist and they just change furniture every 3 years or so, just because they got tired of their current ones... 😑 It's sad, so sad. I don't understand why people do that, and then a few months later they'll complain that they're out of money, ... I also know people who don't ever buy second-hand. It's really... I don't know, no words for it.
So glad she doesn’t say “...and I’m so happy that you wanted to join me today.” anymore.
She used to say it in the beginning of every single video and it was just extremely annoying.
Are you easily annoyed? 😅
One thing that me as Belarusian have to add about Ikea - their furniture was allegedly produced by prisoners in Belarusian penal colonies under forced labor conditions. And it has been a thing for more than 10 years at this point. And especially for last 4 years, when the amount of political prisoners in my country is conatantly increasing, it is heartbreaking. People are being tortured and killed in these colonies. Please, avoid Ikea if you have this opportunity 💔