IKEA Catalogue Supply Chain Dashboards

With more than 200 million copies printed each year, the IKEA Catalogue is the world's most extensive annual print run. Except worked with IKEA Media Production to address the sustainability of this massive supply chain through data-driven dashboards that empower decision-makers to choose more responsible suppliers and processes. The team applied Except's unique systems thinking approach with Symbiosis in Development (SiD) to initiate the right interventions in this complex multi-stakeholder environment. In less than eight months, IKEA, Except, Deloitte, and Trade Extensions produced tools that transform how managers handle the catalogue's sustainability performance.

The Problem

The IKEA catalogue's supply chain data, high in quality, overwhelmed managers. Teams made critical decisions about paper sourcing, printing, and distribution without clear visibility into their environmental consequences. The challenge: make a vast, complex supply chain transparent and actionable. Transform raw data into intuitive dashboards that let catalogue managers switch to more sustainable suppliers and enable their entire supply chain to transition to better processes and products.

Process

Systemic supply chain analysis

Using SiD, we performed a systemic analysis of the catalogue's entire production and decision-making process. This surfaced key bottlenecks where small changes could create outsized sustainability improvements across the global supply chain.

Dashboard design and development

Working with Deloitte and Trade Extensions, we designed buyer dashboards that translate complex supply chain data into clear, actionable insights. Each dashboard gives procurement managers real-time visibility into environmental performance metrics.

Decision architecture

Beyond displaying data, the tools restructure how procurement decisions are made. Sustainability metrics are integrated into the standard buying process, making the responsible choice the natural choice for every purchasing decision.

Outcomes

CO2 reduction: 28%; Per-copy emissions drop between FY14 and FY16
Water reduction: 35%; Water consumption decrease through supplier selection
Renewable energy: +30%; Increase in renewable energy use across the supply chain
Delivery time: 8 months; From concept to operational tools, ahead of schedule

Gallery

Credits

Except team: Tom Bosschaert (Director), Tim Horsten (CSR Consultant / Engineer).

With: Ashley Myers (Sustainability Specialist, Inter IKEA Systems), Betty van Dongen (Back-end Software Developer, Lajos.nl), Brian Baldassarre (Designer & Researcher), Carmen Vercauteren (Industrial Ecologist), Friso Emans (Back-end Software Developer, Lajos.nl), Jacco Beije (Systems Engineering, Redproc IT Systems), Joao Carmona (Front-end Software Developer, De Voorhoede), Jos de Witte (Front-end Software Developer, Lajos.nl), Matthieu Leroy (Project Manager, Inter IKEA Systems), Marcin Kaszinski (Back-end Software Developer, Elksoft), Max Senden (Graphic Designer & Creative Problem Solver), Merel Segers (Industrial Ecologist & Sustainable Storyteller, Merel Segers Sustainability Analysis & Communication), Tijn Schmits (Software Architect & Developer, UpLink).

Except team: Tom Bosschaert (Director), Tim Horsten (CSR Consultant / Engineer).

With: Ashley Myers (Sustainability Specialist, Inter IKEA Systems), Betty van Dongen (Back-end Software Developer, Lajos.nl), Brian Baldassarre (Designer & Researcher), Carmen Vercauteren (Industrial Ecologist), Friso Emans (Back-end Software Developer, Lajos.nl), Jacco Beije (Systems Engineering, Redproc IT Systems), Joao Carmona (Front-end Software Developer, De Voorhoede), Jos de Witte (Front-end Software Developer, Lajos.nl), Matthieu Leroy (Project Manager, Inter IKEA Systems), Marcin Kaszinski (Back-end Software Developer, Elksoft), Max Senden (Graphic Designer & Creative Problem Solver), Merel Segers (Industrial Ecologist & Sustainable Storyteller, Merel Segers Sustainability Analysis & Communication), Tijn Schmits (Software Architect & Developer, UpLink).