Ikea Give Out 60,000 Free CFLs
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06.11.07
Ikea have been attempting to green all aspects of their company in recent years. First it was their products and stores, but now its taking the interesting step of trying to green its staff. Last Christmas they gave each of them a folding bicycle to encourage them to stop driving to work, and now they’re giving each of them 6 CFL bulbs – that’s almost 60,000 bulbs. They’ve also promised to replace them when they stop working.
This gift-giving will cost £45,000, which is very reasonable considering just how many bulbs we’re talking here. Bulk buying on this scale represents a very good deal, but the most impressive part is that they estimate that it will save their workforce almost ten times that in energy bills, £400,000.
Charlie Browne, environment manager at Ikea, said, "Every new worker will also get a pack of bulbs as part of their package when they join the company. We have been taking measures to save energy at our stores and we also have an obligation to educate our co-workers.”
Thoughtfully, the company has set up a disposal scheme for spent bulbs, and admit that it is not a long-term solution. "The bulbs do contain mercury so they are not a panacea," said Browne. "We are aware we have to look at different ways of doing these things in future."
Perhaps greening staff is a more cost effective way to cut emissions than greening stores. We should take this kind of action into consideration when judging just how green a company is. :: The Guardian
See also :: What is Swedish for Free Folding Bicycle? :: Ultra-Efficient IKEA Has More in Store :: Plant-A-Tree, Cool the Globe with IKEA
The only text I've found about this in english.
Remember, this is IKEA Britain (or whatever the subsidiary is called) that's offering these things to its employees. IKEA's US employees see no such benefits, nor do those in many other countries.
These are different companies - IKEA isn't a single corporation. Separating roles between different companies is an excellent way of making a business look ecologically sound simply because people don't know what questions to ask.
damn, i hate fluorescent light.
i have a feeling i'm gonna have to give in to this ...
one time this snotty 18-year-old tried to come on to me by turning some lights off, saying incandescents made it too hot! SO little game
k bye now
Working for a small green company, I am always inspired and encouraged when larger companies such as Ikea and Walmart want to induce positive change. Whether they are serious about their agendas or not...they help contribute to the thought process of improving our environment which is the motivation behind our company. Who cares how we get people to get the inspired, just so they get it!
Wow.... That's awesome of IKEA.
Also, if anyone is interested, I know of this web site where a guy will mail you FREE CFL lightbulbs, as long as you haven't made the switch yet--and he pays for it out of his own pocket.
http://web.mac.com/lifetune/iWeb/LifeTune/Make-The-Switch.html
for the info... just need to tell him how many you need and where to send them!
Share that link, as I know he is seeking more interested people. He also takes donations, but asks for nothing except that you replace your regular bulbs as soon as you receive the new ones.
Crazy how cool people can be sometimes...
Cade