IKEA announced that the Inter IKEA Group has appointed Lena Julle as its Chief Sustainability Officer, taking over from outgoing CSO Pär Stenmark, who the company said will stay with the company. Inter IKEA Group is the group of companies that connects IKEA franchisees with range development and suppliers, and is responsible for aligning the overall IKEA strategic direction.
Julle has been with IKEA for over 30 years, and has been serving as Acting CSO since September 2024, and as Sustainability Manager IKEA Of Sweden since 2021. The company said that in her new role, she will continue to lead and contribute to IKEA’s goal of developing more sustainable products and solutions for the international furniture and household goods market.
Jon Abrahamsson Ring, CEO of Inter IKEA Group, said:
“With her leadership and deep knowledge of IKEA, Lena has continued our journey to make IKEA more sustainable in everything we do. As Acting Chief Sustainability Officer, she’s already made strong contributions in our journey towards net zero and further developed the overall IKEA sustainability agenda. I look forward to working together with her to make our commitments a reality.”
Among IKEA Group’s sustainability goals is achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in sourcing and extraction of raw materials, food ingredients, as well as in manufacturing, product transport, retail operations, customer travel to stores, product use in customers’ homes and product end-of-life. The company said it hopes to achieve these goals by 2050 at the latest.
Julle said:
“The IKEA goal – to be more affordable, accessible, and sustainable, especially for those with limited budgets – resonates deeply with me since I began my journey at IKEA. Creating smart, well-designed, functional products for everyday use at home, based on our life-at-home expertise, while making steady progress on our sustainability agenda, presents a tremendous opportunity. I look forward to continuing to work closely with my passionate IKEA colleagues to inspire and enable our customers to live healthier and more sustainable lifestyles. Together, we will enable the IKEA transition towards a circular business, accelerate our climate agenda and do our part in supporting a more fair and equal society.”
