Stockholm (AFP)

Ikea will open its first store selling refurbished second-hand furniture this year in Sweden, the company said on Friday, which is working to convert its model to a circular economy by 2030.

The store will open in the world's first dedicated second-hand shopping center, called ReTuna, located in the town of Eskilstuna.

The Swedish company had previously announced that it would start renting and recycling its furniture around the world, anxious to respond to criticism that its model, based on the sale of products at low prices in kit form, leads to overconsumption and waste. waste.

"If we are to achieve our sustainability goals, we have to challenge ourselves and test our ideas in practice," Jonas Carlehed, sustainability director at Ikea Sweden, said in a statement.

The company wants to reduce its global climate footprint by 70% on average per product by 2030. The store - a test project that will be reassessed regularly - will be supplied with furniture and fixtures from a nearby Ikea store, that have been damaged and repaired.

The company has already started repairing and repackaging products that have been damaged in transit to each store, as well as allowing customers to return products - including furniture - for resale or donation to charities. charity.

In 2019, Ikea launched a pilot project on the rental of furniture.

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