IKEA banning disposable plastic products in Israel

IKEA announced Monday that its branch in Israel would phase out the use of all disposable plastic materials and products from its stores next year.

An IKEA Israel spokeswoman pointed to the growing movement to ban the use of single-use plastic straws as inspiration behind the company’s initiative, according to The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz.

{mosads}“Plastic straws have become such an important emblem for change when it comes to single-use plastic, but this campaign is not just about straws,” said Hege Sæbjørnsen, according to the Post. “We want to harness people’s energy behind ditching single-use plastic straws and disposables, to draw attention to the thousands of everyday changes we can all make to have a big impact on the planet.”

IKEA will also ban plastic straws in its cafeterias, opting instead for paper replacements.

A new line of eco-friendly furniture will also be introduced in IKEA stores as an alternative to traditional furniture that is not made up of biodegradable materials, according to the Post.

IKEA’s announcement comes as Sodastream, an Israel-based company, announced that it would replace all plastic flavor bottles with metal containers by 2021, according to Haaretz.