Our work in
Forests
The WWF and IKEA partnership is working to advance responsible forest management* as well as support efforts to adress deforestation and degradation.
Side by side
Since 2002, WWF and IKEA have been working side by side on forests, agriculture, water and climate. The partnership is working towards the protection of landscapes, enhancement of biodiversity and working together with local communities.
Why WWF and IKEA?
We have a shared interest in seeing regions around the planet develop and prosper. The combined commitment, expertise and networks of our two organisations enables us to work towards implementable solutions, inspire business practices, and test approaches that can reduce environmental impacts.
WWF and IKEA have worked together on joint projects in 23 countries, across Europe, Asia and South America to support the management and protection of natural resources.
The examples below represent selected outcomes from partnership projects and should not be interpreted as representing all environmental impacts of either organisation. Concentrating on biodiversity, landscape and innovative approaches the partnership has focused on:
- Supporting efforts to strengthen forest policy and supporting efforts to improve forest management practices and increasing FSC-certified forests, contributing to market transformation efforts towards responsibly sourced wood in Europe and Asia.
- Mapping more than 90% of virgin and old-growth forests in the Carpathian region of Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine, and supporting the protection of more than 75% of them – 30,000 hectares of which are UNESCO designated.
- Planting more than 2 million trees across cotton landscapes in India and Pakistan. 1.1 million are still standing and are being looked after by the farming community.
- Supporting the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices in partnership cotton projects, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from cotton production were observed in project areas (30% in India and 23% in Pakistan, calculated using the Cool Farm Tool and based on real-time data collected from fields) in 2024.
- Collectively training more than 400,000 farming families in climate-smart agriculture and regenerative agriculture practices through WWF and IKEA cotton projects across Pakistan and India.
- Supporting a global level water risk assessment of 2,168 of production units in IKEA supply chain, using WWF’s Water Risk Filter. The results were used to inform the IKEA water agenda.
- Working to support improved freshwater management by advancing water conservation both within and beyond the IKEA value chain, advancing projects and initiating pilots connected to river basin projects in India and Türkiye.
- Contributed to the development of WWF’s Beyond Net Zero guidance for businesses, offering a clear, science-based guide for credible corporate climate leadership.
How we work together
Why we work together
Because we believe that no single organisation can do it alone. We would like to demonstrate the opportunities a partnership between an NGO and a business can bring, inspiring others to follow.
The way we work
We work according to a landscape approach, focusing on strengthening local markets. Through in-the-field collaboration and local trainings, we help build capacity and engagement within the communities we work with.
Where we work
We currently work in 12 countries in WWF targeted landscapes: Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, China, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Thailand, Viet Nam, Pakistan, and India. Since the inception of the partnership we have worked in 23 countries.
Our programmes
Our work in
Agriculture
The partnership is working to advancing responsible production practices** within key agricultural and forest landscapes and aquaculture systems.
Our work in
Freshwater
The partnership is working to address water-related impacts and support water security in parts of the IKEA supply chain and selected river basins.
*Responsible forest management refers to a set of measures and safeguards – applied in forests managed for wood or other forest products – that avoid deforestation and protect vulnerable forests from illegal logging, encroachment, and agricultural conversion. Tailored to forest type and local conditions, it safeguards high conservation values, biodiversity, regeneration, ecosystem services, soil, water, and climate resilience, while supporting the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous People and local communities, worker welfare, and smallholder interests — often benchmarked by credible third-party certification (e.g. FSC). These ecological, social, and economic functions must be sustained at local, national, and global scales without harming other ecosystems, current or future generations.(IKEA approach to wood sourcing)
**Responsible production practices refer to measures and safeguards applied in agriculture that reduce negative environmental and social impacts while supporting productive and resilient food systems. Tailored to local ecosystems, commodities, and production systems, responsible production practices can support to protect biodiversity and high conservation values, avoid conversion of natural ecosystems, maintain soil and water health, reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and promote more efficient use of natural resources and inputs. They also respect human rights, the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and the interests of small-scale producers. Where relevant, responsible practices can be benchmarked against credible standards and third-party certification, and should contribute to maintaining or restoring ecosystem functions over the long-term.
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