IKEA to remove non-rechargeable alkaline batteries by 2021

Already after 10 charges of a rechargeable NiHM battery, such as the LADDA range sold in IKEA stores, greenhouse gas emissions are lower as compared to using alkaline batteries to obtain the same amount of energy. When about 50 charges are reached, the overall environmental impacts¹ of NiMH batteries is equal or even less than the impact of using alkaline batteries.²

 “Consumers who need to frequently use batteries can benefit by replacing alkaline with rechargeable batteries. There are substantial savings to be made over time – on the environment as well as their wallets. IKEA globally sold about 300 million alkaline batteries last year, so we see great potential to inspire our customers to adopt new behaviours and use rechargeable batteries to their full potential“, says Emelie Knoester, Business Area Manager at IKEA Range & Supply.

In FY19, IKEA sold about 300 million alkaline batteries globally. Calculations indicate that if – hypothetically – all IKEA customers switched from ALKALISK alkaline batteries to LADDA rechargeable batteries, used them for high-drain devices and charged them just 50 times the global waste reduction would be as much as 5,000 tons on an annual basis.³ As one LADDA battery can be charged up to 500 times, the potential to reduce additional waste exists.   

 “We are on a journey to inspire and enable people to live healthier and more sustainable lives within the boundaries of the planet. By phasing out alkaline batteries and focusing on our range of rechargeable batteries, we are taking one step on that journey – offering customers an affordable and convenient solution to prolong the life of products and materials and reduce waste”, says Caroline Reid, Sustainability Development Manager at IKEA Range & Supply.

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1. Climate change, acidification, eutrophication (terrestrial, freshwater, and marine), freshwater ecotoxicity, human toxicity (cancer effects and noncancer effects), particulate matter, water resource depletion, and mineral and fossil resource depletion)
2. Comparative Life cycle analysis of alkaline batteries against rechargeable NiMH batteries. Dolci et al., 2016; Mahmud, 2019; Parsons, 2007, and Menet and Gruescu, 2013.
3. Calculations are based on the comparative LCA studies listed in footnote 1, extrapolated to LADDA and ALKALISK batteries, based on FY19 sales figures of LADDA and assuming all LADDA batteries are charged 50 times according to IEC 61951-2 Ed.3 (2011) standards and in high-drain devices.