Ikea Retracts Eco Claims for Veggie Balls

"A little ball with a big impact! The new Swedish veggie ball has the same taste and texture as our iconic meatball, but the production of the plant-based version has 25 times less environmental impact." Is this claim from Ikea correct? No, according to a fact-check by Agrifacts.

The difference in environmental impact between the vegetarian ball and the meatball is improbably large. Ikea Netherlands and Ikea International both refuse to disclose the basis for their claim. Eventually, Agrifacts has asked the Advertising Standards Authority to review the matter. Ikea didn't wait for a hearing and decision, instead promising to promptly remove the advertisements.

"Shaken Awake" "The case with the Advertising Standards Authority has really shaken things up internally for us. This was a refreshing case for us," says an Ikea spokesperson. Ikea also apologizes for the way questions from STAF were handled. They were unable to provide the requested substantiation of the environmental impact. "We were dependent on our colleagues in Sweden. They did not want to disclose that information. However, this is not how we want to operate in the Netherlands."

Instructions from Sweden The Dutch Ikea stores receive instructions from Sweden, which also determines their communication lines. "In this story, all the signals are now red. It's irresponsible to attach hard figures to the environmental impact of products here in the Netherlands. That's something we at Ikea Netherlands want to stay away from."

Ikea says they will remove all advertisements by January 1st. The removal will begin with the large billboard at the Duiven location (photo).

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