STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - IKEA, the world's biggest furniture group, pledged on Friday to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its production by 80 percent in absolute terms by 2030 from their levels two years ago.
The commitment applies to IKEA's own factories and most of its direct suppliers, brand owner Inter IKEA said in a statement.
It comes days before world leaders gather in Katowice, Poland for the most important U.N. climate meeting since the 2015 Paris summit, where 195 countries pledged to work to limit a rise in global temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius.
"I hope for a leadership that steps up, sets clear targets and dares to nail a number of commitments without us having all the solutions," Inter IKEA CEO Torbjorn Loof told Reuters.
"That goes for governments, businesses and other players," he said, adding it was vital that emission targets are set in absolute terms.
The U.N. on Thursday warned global temperatures are on course for a 3-5C rise this century.
In 2016, IKEA's direct suppliers and own factories emitted 3.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. IKEA produces around 10 percent of its range itself and sources the rest from suppliers.
Efficiency across production and shifts to renewable energy, such as biomass-based for the energy-intensive particle-board production, will help reach the new target, CEO Loof and sustainability chief Lena Pripp-Kovac said in an interview.
Other key elements are a shift towards more lightweight materials, and tests of a new glue, a switch to which could cut as much as 6 percent off its emissions level.
More than 400 firms including H&M, Coca-Cola and Sony have committed to a U.N.-backed initiative to help limit global warming to below 2C.
(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom; Editing by Keith Weir)
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