The Netherlands and Switzerland are expected to be the first countries where IKEA will start marketing solar panels

Sep 23, 2014 19:59 GMT  ·  By
IKEA announces plans to start selling solar panels in 8 more countries in Europe
   IKEA announces plans to start selling solar panels in 8 more countries in Europe

Just yesterday, Swedish company IKEA announced to the world that, soon enough, it would start marketing solar panels in eight more European countries.

The announcement was made during the UN Climate Summit and Climate Week that is currently ongoing in New York, US, and many were quick to welcome it.

In case anyone was wondering, IKEA currently markets solar panels in the UK alone. Thus, systems designed to harvest solar energy and turn it into electricity are available at 18 stores across the country.

So, which are the lucky eight countries?

Unfortunately, Swedish IKEA is not yet ready or willing to spill the beans on where exactly it plans to start selling solar systems. It has only disclosed the names of two countries involved in this project, and promises to soon get back to us with more information.

As detailed on the company's website, these countries are the Netherlands and Switzerland. Should things go according to plan, solar panels will be available in stores in the Netherlands starting October 28. Folks in Switzerland, on the other hand, will have to wait until mid-December.

Interestingly enough, IKEA promises that the cost of the solar panels it wishes to start marketing in these two countries will include installation and warranties. Apparently, the company is very much preoccupied with helping its customers go green.

“We know that our customers want to save energy and live more sustainably at home, but we believe they shouldn’t spend more money or time to do so,” Peter Agnefjäll, the current CEO of the IKEA Group, said in a statement.

“That is why we are determined to make sustainability both affordable and attractive to as many people as possible. I am delighted that we can now commit to bringing affordable home solar to a further eight countries, starting with the Netherlands and Switzerland,” he added.

Other surprises in store

Apart from doing its best to encourage its customers to embrace an environmentally friendly lifestyle, IKEA says that it will move forward with its plans to green up its own working agenda by investing heavily in renewables.

The company hopes that, by the year 2020, it will manage to have its energy demands met entirely by green sources. To this end, the Swedish company plans to invest as much as €1.5 billion (approximately $1.9 billion) in wind and solar.

What's more, the company promises that it will see to it that, by 2020, all the plastic material used to make its home furnishing products will be 100% renewable and/or recycled, and that it will do its best to get its wood and cotton from sustainable sources.

“The scale of the climate challenge requires bold commitments and bold action. That is why we are committing to go 100% renewable or recycled material for the plastic we use in our home furnishing products, building on our 100% goal for renewable energy, and our goal for 100% of our cotton and wood to come from more sustainable sources,” said Peter Agnefjäll.