Ikea is famous for its flatpack furniture, offering hugely practical solutions that come in a portable package. And here’s a new twist: you could now have your Billy bookcase delivered via a solar-powered cargo e-bike.
The Swedish furniture giant has run a pilot scheme at its store in Delft, The Netherlands, using a Sunrider solar-powered cargo e-bike to deliver products to customers who live within the city centre. And don't worry: you don't need to assemble the e-bike yourself...
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Clearly, pedal-powered flatpack deliveries are a hit: Ikea’s global franchisor has committed to scaling up the project so that all of its retailers worldwide will have the option to offer it.
Helene Davidsson, Ikea Systems BV’s sustainability chief, said that the Sunrider’s cargo hold can fit around 90 per cent of Ikea’s product range, and emits 98 per cent less CO2 than a modern diesel van.
“The solar-powered cargo bike will be a valuable addition to last-mile service, as it offers a quiet, emission-free alternative that can also bypass traffic congestion” said Davidson. “The solar-powered cargo bike does all that.”
We’re not sure yet if the 90 per cent of the product range that can be delivered via cargo e-bike includes Ikea meatballs, but we’re keen to find out.
The cargo e-bike trial is part of a wider push by Ikea to become climate positive – that means reducing more greenhouse gases than its value chain emits – by 2030.
To meet that goal, Ikea is taking actions further up the delivery chain: it’s committed to switching all of its fleet of medium- and heavy-duty delivery trucks that are more than 7.5 tonnes in size to zero-emission EVs by 2040 in OECD markets, China and India.
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