IKEA taps Baltics, others for more wood supplies after shunning Russia, 26 January 2023

IKEA is using more wood from Sweden and the Baltics to make up for not sourcing it from Russia and Belarus which the company has shunned due to Moscow's war in Ukraine, its wood supply boss said in an interview.

The world's biggest furniture brand - one of the world's top wood users - used 20 million cubic metres of wood in its products, packaging and communication material in the 12 months through August 2022.

"We have managed to replace those (Russia and Belarus) volumes in other countries on a very hot wood market," Ulf Johansson, Global Wood Supply and Forestry Manager at brand owner Inter IKEA, told Reuters.

Sweden, the Baltics, Poland and Germany are among countries where IKEA's wood sourcing has increased as a result of the war in Ukraine, he said, adding that some of the solutions might be long-term and others short-term.

Russia and Belarus were IKEA's fifth and sixth biggest wood suppliers before the war, accounting for 6% and 5% respectively of its supplies, the company's website said.

The company on Thursday launched a map on its website showing the origin of all its wood to meet customers' demands for more transparency...

IKEA says it uses only Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified or recycled wood. It banned suppliers from using Russian and Belarusian wood after FSC suspended its certification in the two countries due to the invasion.

IKEA stores in Russia have been closed since March, while IKEA owned shopping malls remain open. Inter IKEA's four factories in the country are closed and up for sale...