Innovations in water efficiency are becoming increasingly important. 1 in 3 people globally do not have access to safe drinking water, and billions of people will lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene in 2030. Approximately 10% of the world’s freshwater supply is used in households. IKEA is committed to helping people to save water in their homes.
Already today all IKEA showers and taps have a built-in water-efficient regulator that delivers an optimal flow of water. To further cut down household water usage, IKEA partnered with the innovative start-up company Altered Company and developed ÅBÄCKEN water nozzle. The ÅBÄCKEN water nozzle can fit any IKEA tap or most standard taps on the market and it has the potential to lower the water flow to 0.25L per minute in mist mode and up to 1.9L/min in spray mode. The nozzle can save up to 95% water in mist mode and 66% in spray mode when compared to standard wash-basin mixer taps with a water flow rate of 5.7 L/min. Consequently, ÅBÄCKEN also helps to save energy used to heat water. “We know that most people who are facing water scarcity also have thin wallets, so it is important to develop solutions with low prices adaptable to most homes. This cannot be achieved without innovation and collaboration,” says Hanna Carleke, Business Leader for the IKEA Bathroom range. “We overcame many challenges during the development of ÅBÄCKEN water nozzle, for instance, meeting our goal on the price tag, finding more sustainable material, and experienced the pandemic during the process, but we are happy that the product will finally meet customers around the world in October this year.”
IKEA is committed to improving water quality and the availability of water across the full value chain. This includes rethinking the range and food offer, raw materials, and production methods and enabling reduced water consumption at home is part.
“IKEA has an ambition to inspire and enable more than one billion people to live healthy and sustainable lives within the boundaries of the planet. The way we do that is to ensure that our products are attractive, desirable, and affordable – making it the easy choice for the many, and not a luxury for the few,” says Lena Julle, Sustainability Manager of Range, IKEA of Sweden. “We believe that all homes are full of possibilities, and water saving is an important sustainability movement which everyone should be able to contribute to.”
For more information about how the ÅBÄCKEN water nozzle was designed and developed, check the behind the scenes story here.
