Ikea launches Belgian pilot for down recycling
Home interiors group Ikea has launched a trial in Belgium to encourage consumers to hand in used duvets and pillows so that down and feathers can be washed and reused in new products.
A feature in the latest issue of WSA, ‘Smarter thermal insulation’, argues that down’s exceptional longevity makes it “a prime contender for multiple lifecycles”.
Ikea’s project in Belgium is a pilot. It will run for six months, after which time the company will evaluate the results and, possibly, then expand it to other countries. It has said this idea is part of a wider circular initiative; it has pledged to make its entire business 100% circular by 2030.
It will collect feathers and down from pillows and quilts, sort them and check the quality of the materials to assess their potential for reuse.
To encourage the public to take part, the retailer has said it will offer a 15% discount voucher for every down-filled product they bring to any of its eight stores across Belgium during the month of September. The company has confirmed to sportstextiles that these contributions need not be Ikea’s own products.
