There may be a lot of things that IKEA is doing wrong for the environment, but ceasing to sell incandescent bulbs isn’t one of them.
Swedish furniture superstore IKEA has gotten into environmental trouble over lots of things, and at first some of the local Israeli population protested IKEA’s entrance into the market. The company does not exactly espouse sustainable furniture design, with its inexpensive and intended-to-be-disposable furniture. Even if it has increased design awareness in Israel, it continues to offer a cheap, easy alternative to more sustainable and eco-friendly home furnishings. The company’s most recent move may somewhat redeem it in the eyes of environmentalists, though – IKEA Israel has become the country’s first retailer to discontinue sale of incandescent light bulbs.
Incandescent light bulbs, such as the one pictured above, are universally used and beloved for their glow’s similarity to the light of a candle (hence the name “incandescent”). That glow comes at a price though, as the large majority of the energy used to power the bulbs is wasted by the heat that they create.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use 75 percent less energy than incandescents and can last up to 10 times longer. Since they emit no heat, they are more energy efficient.
Some people believe that CFLs emit a cold, white neon light, but those days of the early CFLs are gone and now bulbs can be found that emit a warm yellow light similar to incandescents.
IKEA’s new policy became effective on September 1st, and it remains to be seen if other retailers will follow.
Read more about CFLs and green lighting::
Shining Your Green Lights, Tips for Greening Your Home Lighting
Don’t Sit Close To Your CFL Lightbulbs, They May Cause Skin Cancer
Creating The “Good Energy Initiative” in Israel
Image via: Anton Fomkin
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
That’s funny. First IKEA made the top quality incandescent lamp unprofitable to manufacture by selling them at a price no one could compete with. That’s why the leading manufacturers have been lobbying for a global ban.
Then IKEA started selling cheap poor quality CFLs from China which they could make more of a profit on. And now they’re selling cheap poor quality LEDs. Both of which have had their performance, longevity, safety and light quality massively exaggerated and the exaggerations repeated ad nauseum by ignorant journalists and bloggers who buy the PR spin and are too lazy or uninterested to check consumer tests and manufacturer catalogues for themselves.
Of course IKEA are eager to get rid of their unprofitable incandescent bulbs a s a p, under the pretense of caring for the environment, now that they have 2 poorer quality products to replace them with. If they truly did care about the environment they would not try to push toxic CFLs and LEDs on the general public. What are the recycling plans for the mercury-, arsenic- and lead-containing lamps in your country?
in contrast to this minor green gimmick,the two IKEA buildings in israel,do not seem to have been designed for energy efficiency for natural lighting/heating/cooling! the one that was burnt last year,was totally mechanically controlled without internal atriums that could have diverted immediately the fire smoke to the outdoors,besides providing natural lighting to the interiors before the fire.so,what’s the big deal with the lightbulbs,that anyway most people don’t buy at IKEA stores!!!