NETHERLANDS - Following IKEA’s commitment to inspire and enable people to live a healthier and more sustainable life at home, all non-rechargeable alkaline batteries will be removed from the global home furnishing range by October 2021.

With this decision, Ikea wishes to inspire consumers who need to frequently use batteries to make a switch to rechargeable batteries. Regular use over time enables consumers to both save money and reduce waste at home.

Several current comparative Life Cycle Assessment studies show that the environmental impact of alkaline batteries is higher compared to rechargeable nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH) when used in common household devices that have a high energy consumption and are therefore charged on a regular basis

- such as toys, flashlights, portable speakers or cameras.

After 10 charges of a rechargeable NiMH battery, such as the LADDA range sold in Ikea stores, greenhouse gas emissions are lower as compared to using alkaline batteries to obtain the same amount of energy. When about 50 charges are reached, the overall environmental impact of NiMH batteries is equal or even less than the impact of using alkaline batteries.

“Consumers who need to frequently use batteries can benefit by replacing alkaline with rechargeable batteries. There are substantial savings to be made over time – on the environment as well as their wallets. Ikea globally sold about 300 million alkaline batteries last year, so we see great potential to inspire our customers to adopt new behaviors and use rechargeable batteries to their full potential”, says Emelie Knoester, Business Area Manager at IKEA Range & Supply.