IKEA taps textiles leader as new CSO
Lena Julle most recently managed sustainability for its oven and stove product line. Read More
- Julle’s experience in the textile division jibes with IKEA’s need to deeply reduce its use of raw materials.
- She also helped to shape the oven and range division’s circular economy practices.
- IKEA’s science-based targets include cutting its climate footprint in half by 2030.
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Inter IKEA Group, which makes the wide range of home goods sold in IKEA stores, has officially named the former head of its textile supply chain strategy as its new chief sustainability officer.
Lena Julle, who has been with IKEA for more than 30 years, had been acting CSO since September 2024, when Pär Stenmark stepped aside to prepare for a new, as-yet-undeclared, role within the company.
Julle’s permanent appointment became effective on May 1, after nearly two years of her being groomed for the position. Most recently, as the sustainability manager for IKEA Range, maker of the company’s stoves and ovens, Julle was involved in shaping the division’s burgeoning circular economy practices. Prior to that, she managed supply chain operations for the textiles division for six years.
“With her leadership and deep knowledge of IKEA, Lena has continued our journey to be more sustainable in everything we do, said Inter IKEA CEO Jon Abrahamsson Ring. “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.”
IKEA’s science-based targets include a goal to cut its climate footprint in half across all three emissions scopes by 2030, based on a 2016 baseline. The company reported a cumulative reduction of 28 percent as of the fiscal year that ended Aug. 31, 2024.
One of the thorniest challenges in delivering that 2030 commitment is reducing the impact of raw materials and extraction, which accounted for 52 percent of IKEA’s footprint in 2024. Textiles and “comfort materials” such as foam used to stuff sofas are the third biggest chunk in that category after metals and wood. Julle’s experience with that supply chain will be invaluable in finding alternative sources and increasing the percentage of recycled content used in IKEA manufacturing.
“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,” she said.
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