How WD, Ingka and IKEA are Turning Climate Ambitions into Action

One Home, One Planet and the Action Speaks Conference

 Bianca Doerschlag

 Lee Peterson

Estimated Read Time: 2 Minutes

Real Change Begins With Real Action

At WD Partners, we’ve long championed circularity, not just in merchandise but in how we envision the future of retail. For the last few years, we’ve had the privilege of working with the Ingka Group and IKEA on ideas for a more sustainable future, allowing us to dive deeper into initiatives such as the potential for selling resale goods in stores. Recently, we attended the ‘Action Speaks’ conference during Climate Week in NYC, a meeting not only for stores and merchandise, but for all things human.

Related: Big Box Should Sell Resale Goods in Stores

The goal for the week wasn’t just about theoretical discussions. It aimed to tackle real-world problems and propose impactful climate solutions and thought leadership that focus on how we eat, power, move, make, grow and finance for:

Collaborating for a Circular Economy

Although the breakout groups and discussions were terrific, to spark real change, our actions need to speak louder than our words. Imagine a world in 2050 where businesses operate sustainably, powered by renewable energy and producing zero waste in a circular economy. We can do it, the solutions are here, but it’s going to take collaboration across businesses and continued meetings like ‘Action Speaks’ to ensure progress.

The conference provided a platform for us to meet leaders across industries and create actionable climate ‘to-do’ lists. At WD, our ‘to-do’ lists not only include changing the way we think about designing and constructing new buildings, but also adapting and retrofitting existing infrastructure to enhance resilience and customer experience. The partnerships forged as well as ideas generated helped us walk away with several actionable plans that will drive sustainable change for ourselves and for our clients.

Personal Connections Fuel Progress

Beyond the formal sessions, the personal connections formed with industry leaders at Action Speaks helped create a sense of urgency for when you go back home and dig into your work, whatever it may be. It’s one thing to discuss sustainability at conferences; it’s another to picture the advice of industry leaders as you work on solutions that could make a real impact. Having the voices of great leaders in sustainability in the back of your mind while you’re creating on that screen in front of you can really make a difference.

To give you an idea, some of the leaders we heard from include Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka, Javier Quinones, CEO of IKEA North America, Drexlar Attram, GreenBiz Leader at Columbia, Randi Kronthal-Sacco, Sr Scholar of NYU Center for Sustainable Business, Amy Pastor, VP of Sustainability at EXP, all of whom provided valuable insights into making sustainability mainstream.

At WD, innovation and scale are core principles that are going to require not only circular programs, infrastructure and collaboration, but also a shift in consumer behavior. To that end, and to get circularity right, we’re going to have to work closely with Gen Z, who can serve as a litmus test for sincerity in any of our initiatives. Our strategy group will lead the charge, helping our clients adapt and thrive in this evolving landscape.

In the coming years, we look forward to continued collaboration with Ingka and IKEA to keep this ball rolling. After all, the idea of ‘One Home, One Planet’ is not a nice-to-have–it’s a necessity. Together, we can make it happen.