We want all our rugs to be made from sustainable wool

IKEA wants to have a positive impact on people, animals and the planet, that’s why we’re on a journey to transform all the wool we use in our products to 100% Responsibly Sourced Wool. We will do this by sourcing wool which follows the “Responsible Wool Standard” (RWS) guideline, meaning that the wool only comes from sheep that are treated with respect, and the land where they eat and rest is managed responsibly.

Hundreds of sheep grazing in the sunlight while producing wool for IKEA carpets.

Wool is a fantastic material, it’s sustainable, it’s also renewable and it provides different properties to our products.

Rafael Elizondo, Category Manager for Textile Carpets at IKEA

Growing on sheep, wool is a natural, sustainable and renewable material.

How will we do this?

To ensure that the wool we use is sourced in a responsible way, we need to work to secure full traceability of the wool used in our supply chain. That means we will know where all our wool comes from, and we can support positive animal welfare conditions for the sheep.

“Wool is an awesome product because the sheep produce it naturally, and it’s the ultimate sustainability because they just keep growing it.” says Paul Smith, Farm Manager in New Zealand, where IKEA has begun sourcing RWS wool.

Reasons to choose wool

Wool is renewable, biodegradable and recyclable
Wool is a natural, durable and strong material
Wool ages beautifully and is more resistant to stains
Wool is highly thermal and breathable
Wool dyes easily, so we can create many beautiful and varied design styles for you to choose from

Wool is a natural, sustainable, renewable material that is often used in IKEA rugs.

Making Responsibly Sourced Wool available for everyone

We are committed to transforming all our wool to 100% Responsibly Sourced Wool by 2025. But that’s not enough. Rafael Elizondo, Category Manager for Textile Carpets at IKEA says “We want others to join us and help us transform the wool industry together. Ultimately, what we’re after is to make responsibly sourced wool affordable, for as many customers as possible.”

Yellow wool yarn that was just dyed, drying before becoming rugs for IKEA.

Respect – in every step

Once the wool has travelled from New Zealand to India, it’s combed, spun into yarn, dyed and transformed into beautiful, handwoven rugs by skilled artisans. These steps follow strict processes that respect both the workers and the environment.

Trust for natural materials

We know that our customers prefer to have natural materials in their homes and close to their skin. Being a durable, natural and strong material, wool is perfect for rugs.

A close-up of a handmade striped TRANGET wool rug in white, black, gray and different blue colors.

TRANGET is one of many rugs in our range that are made from 100% wool and hand-woven by skilled artisans, which means each one is unique. They are made in India in organized weaving centers with good working conditions and fair wages. Being renewable and recyclable, wool plays an important role on our shift towards more sustainable materials.

See how the wool from sheep in New Zealand travels to India to be transformed into beautiful, handwoven carpets, before ending up in your IKEA store – and maybe in your home.

Every time I visit our partners in India, I get very inspired. I see how much focus we put on sustainability, on the quality, and also the social aspect.

Rafael Elizondo, Category Manager for Textile Carpets at IKEA