Stockholm (NordSIP) – According to a press release from the Inter IKEA Group, Lena Julle has been appointed as the new incoming Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) of the Inter IKEA Group, effective 1 May, 2025. Julle succeeds Pär Stenmark who will continue with the company.
An IKEA Expert
Julle has over 30 years experience at IKEA. She has been acting CSO since September 2024. Prior to this appointment, she was a sustainability manager at IKEA Range for four years, leading and contributing to the development of sustainable products and solutions. Between 2014 and 2021, Julle was Category Area Manager Textiles, leading the global textile supply chain organisation for all supply chain activities from strategy to operations, including the development of cost, quality, sustainability, logistics and communication. Julle started her IKEA career in 1990 at an IKEA store in the US, following her studies in International Business.
“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,” says Jon Abrahamsson Ring, CEO, Inter IKEA Group.
As CSO, Julle will ensure that sustainability is integrated throughout the IKEA offer, and that IKEA continues to address current and future environmental and societal challenges while ensuring business growth.
IKEA’s Commitments
IKEA has committed to contributing to limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C by drastically reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the entire IKEA value chain. In 2023, the IKEA climate goals were strengthened in line with the 1.5°C target and the SBTi Net-Zero Standard. These goals include halving GHG emissions from the entire value chain in absolute terms by the 2030 fiscal year compared to that of 2016, and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, at the latest.
The net-zero targets set by Inter IKEA Group cover sourcing and extraction of raw materials, food ingredients, manufacturing, product transport, retail operations, customer travel to stores, product use in customers’ homes and product end-of-life.
“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,” Julle concludes.
