We buy, we get bored, we throw away. At some point in the past few decades, we decided that everything is disposable. Fashion, tech, furniture – it can be bought cheaply, it can be replaced cheaply. And the planet can’t deal with it.

Ikea has been facing up to the world’s environmental responsibilities in campaigns that remind people of ways to look after the planet. Now it is facing up to its own. Through agency, Try, it has launched a campaign, The Trash Collection 2021, a selection of reclaimed furniture saved from local tips in Norway. It is estimated that around 3 million items of furniture are thrown out every year in Norway alone. By reconditioning actual Ikea furniture, the campaign shows how one man’s trash can be another’s treasure when reconditioned and given a clean for sale in Ikea’s second-hand stores. The campaign film is set to Joe Tex’s Hold What You’ve Got.

Ikea marketing communications manager, Tobias Lien, commented, “Too much of our furniture end in the trash, and with this campaign, we wanted to show how it doesn’t need to. Often, the products are just fine or maybe they just need a few small spare parts. To show how little it takes, we have therefore collected some of them and given them a second chance at Ikea.”

Ikea marketing manager, Frode Skage Ullebust, added, “An important part of our responsibility is to launch new services that help our customers throw less. I must admit that it hurts a little to see our furniture presented in this way, but at the same time, I think it has become a very honest and beautiful way to get people to reflect.”

Ikea is also discouraging throwaway culture by introducing a buy-back option for unwanted furniture as well as a free spare parts service to extend the lifespan of products.