Karen Pflug

If there’s any company that’s proving it’s possible to grow as a business while reducing its emissions, it’s Ikea. As the furniture manufacturer’s chief sustainability officer, Karen Pflug can tout the major achievement of reducing owner Ingka Group's climate footprint by 24.3% in 2023 (compared to its 2016 baseline) while growing its revenue 30.9%. The company is also working to support the reuse of its products: It is lobbying the Canadian government to end its tax on second-hand goods and this fall it rolled out its Ikea Preowned pilot program in Oslo and Madrid.

What is the single most important action you think the public, or a specific company or government (other than your own), needs to take in the next year to advance the climate agenda?

Work together. We only have five years left to deliver on the Paris Agreement and limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C. We all have a role to play and collaboration between business, governments, and society is more essential than ever. The good news is that many of the solutions exist, now it’s about scaling them, for example plant-based food, electrification of transport, and the transition to renewable energy. If I were to point to one important action it is to work together, ensuring that we adopt plans and policies that drive necessary actions to reach net-zero by 2050.  

What is a climate solution (other than your own) that isn't getting the attention or funding it deserves?

The just transition. We need to do more in recognizing the importance of simultaneously tackling climate change and inequality. As well as being guided by science, when taking climate action, we need to keep people at the heart of our actions and take a coordinated approach that covers people and the planet. Climate change is directly impacting the lives of millions of people, contributing to significant involuntary displacement of people around the world and their universal human rights, including the right to food, water, health, housing, work, and life.

Where should climate activism go in the next year?

Strengthen the voice of communities most impacted by climate change. Climate change, nature loss, land degradation, and waste all impact people and communities around the world, so we need to raise the voice of those most impacted who have contributed the least to the climate crisis. If we can strengthen the voice of communities most impacted by climate change, fossil fuels and related inequalities, we can empower more people to take action with urgent optimism; driving a movement to accelerate the renewable energy transition and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Together we can create a future of thriving resilient and fairer communities where people and nature coexist in harmony.

What's the most important climate legislation that could pass in the next year?

When it comes to policies in the coming year, it’s vital that the updated National Determined Contributions (NDC’s) deliver to the commitment countries made under the Paris Agreement. We need updated NDC’s to be aligned with 1.5°C and include the setting of short- and long-term policies that finance and accelerate a just transition to renewable energy, a more circular economy, and more sustainable transport. Bolder NDC’s will incentivise investment, reduce permitting barriers, and unlock finance, serving as a catalyst for others to take action.