September Newsletter 🍁
Root Sustainability
Life cycle assessment for the entire product portfolio, made easy for everyone
Hi there,
As the summer days fade and we transition into the crisp beginnings of fall, it’s the perfect time to refocus on fresh starts and new initiatives. Just like the changing season, the sustainability landscape continues to evolve, and we’re here to keep you updated on the latest trends, insights, and exciting developments.
Grab a cozy drink, and let’s dive into what’s happening this month in sustainability ☕️
Company Spotlight: IKEA’s New Second-Hand Marketplace
This month, we’re highlighting IKEA’s newest sustainability initiative: the pre-owned furniture marketplace. Set to launch by the end of the year, this platform will allow customers to buy and sell second-hand IKEA furniture, helping to extend product life and reduce waste.
This initiative plays a vital role in IKEA’s ambition to become fully circular by 2030. By adopting the "Reuse" strategy—one of the key R-strategies in the circular economy—IKEA is promoting sustainable consumption and working to reduce the environmental impact of its products.
Why is this so important? As one of the world’s largest furniture retailers, IKEA’s operations have a significant environmental footprint. In 2023, IKEA’s total climate footprint was 23,7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents, with nearly half of those emissions stemming from the materials used in their products.
Additionally, IKEA uses one tree every two seconds to make its furniture, a staggering rate of resource consumption. This level of demand underscores the urgency of IKEA’s shift toward circularity.
While the second-hand marketplace is a great step toward reducing waste and promoting circularity, it also raises a critical question: Is this enough to meet their ambitious sustainability targets, given their immense environmental impact?
With such high levels of resource consumption and emissions, IKEA will need to explore additional strategies to ensure they stay on track to meet their 2030 goals. The second-hand initiative is a positive move, but broader, more systemic changes may be necessary to truly transform IKEA into a sustainable, circular business.
Understanding the EU’s Green Claims Directive
This month, we’re highlighting the Green Claims Directive, a critical regulation by the European Union designed to ensure that companies making environmental claims about their products or services do so with verifiable and transparent data. This directive is focused on eliminating misleading "greenwashing" practices and promoting accurate, trustworthy claims.
The implications are important: businesses must substantiate any environmental claims to avoid misleading consumers, thus building trust and credibility. While this might seem challenging, it’s an opportunity to showcase genuine sustainability efforts.
Life Cycle Assessment tools can simplify this process by offering precise insights into your product’s environmental impact, helping ensure compliance with the directive.
To dive deeper into how the Green Claims Directive affects your business and how you can prepare, check out our detailed blog post here.
In our latest blog, we explore the game-changing concept of Digital Product Passports (DPP) and how they are set to revolutionize supply chain transparency. As sustainability becomes a priority, DPPs enable businesses to track and share critical product information, from materials and sourcing to environmental impact. Learn how implementing DPPs can help your business meet regulatory demands, improve product lifecycle management, and build consumer trust.
Read the full article here.
Curious about how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) works in real-world applications? Check out our latest blog, where we spotlight Bon Ton Toys and their commitment to reducing their environmental impact through LCA. This deep dive shows how Bon Ton Toys uses LCA to assess, improve, and communicate the sustainability of their products, providing valuable lessons for any business looking to go green.
Read the full customer story here.
In this webinar, you will:
📆 When: Wednesday, September 25
⏱ Time: 16:00 - 17:00 CEST
☕️ Join Our Weekly Product Demo Sessions
Curious about how our platform can work for you? Join our weekly product demos where you’ll see our platform in action, and get answers to all your burning questions. This is your chance to explore features, ask anything, and see firsthand how we can support your sustainability goals.
Check Root’s calendar and choose the day that works best for you—we can’t wait to connect with you!
Thank you for reading our newsletter! We can’t wait to continue sharing insights, news, and inspiration with you each month. If you have any suggestions, feedback, or topics you’d love to see, don’t hesitate to reach out—we’d love to hear from you!
Contact us anytime, and we’ll be back with more exciting content in October!
With Love,
The Root Team 💚