Thank you for the opportunity to respond to these questions on this important topic.

Alongside legal requirements, such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), the IKEA business is fully committed to respecting and supporting human rights based on the UN Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). IWAY, our way of responsibly procuring products, services, materials and components, outlines what is and is not an acceptable business practice and all suppliers are responsible to adhere to our global standards.

We are actively working to ensure our products are not made from forced labour. Should there be evidence of it, we would not re-export such products to another market. No matter where we operate, we do not accept any form of forced or bonded labour anywhere in the IKEA value chain, be it at our own operations or operations in the IKEA value chain. The IWAY System has credible processes in place for verifying and following up on compliance with the IWAY requirements for our suppliers and service providers. Verification activities are performed by both approved IKEA auditors and independent thirdparty auditors and can be announced or unannounced.

If we find any indications of misconduct anywhere in our supply chain, including forced labour, we take immediate steps to remedy the situation and ensure full alignment with our supply chain requirements and IKEA values. This is relevant in all parts of the globe...

Depending on the risks, maturity and complexity of each supply chain, IKEA secures – and continues to develop – traceability to varying levels of detail with differing chain of custody models, verified through our own processes and/or through third-party certification.

Based on your reference to the JWW database, we wish to clarify that since Better Cotton Initiative took the decision to suspend its certification in the referenced region in March 2020, neither IKEA suppliers nor their sub-suppliers have purchased cotton from this region for IKEA productions. Should we encounter any information that suggests violations and misconduct, we will take immediate action...