Finland: IKEA partners with Gasum to open biogas stations next to its stores

Gasum will cooperate with IKEA Finland to use food waste from IKEA restaurants in Finland to produce biogas, with Gasum gas filling stations also to be constructed by the furniture retailing centers.

The first station will be opened at the IKEA store in Espoo in late 2017. In the future the cooperation will also enable the utilization of biogas fuel in IKEA Finland’s own operations and by IKEA’s transport partners.

The cooperation between Gasum and IKEA Finland will result in the production of environmentally friendly biogas from food waste generated in all of Finland’s IKEA restaurants. Biogas is a clean and 100% renewable local fuel made from biodegradable feedstocks such as biowaste sourced from homes, retail outlets and industry.

”Utilizing the volumes of food waste remaining after our efforts to eliminate wastage is a sustainable act for the promotion of a clean energy form, biogas,” says Country Sustainability Manager Tiina Suvanto from IKEA Finland.

One of the aims of the cooperation is to construct gas filling stations in conjunction with the IKEA stores in Finland.

”Our partnership with IKEA Finland is a great example of comprehensive circular-economy cooperation benefiting all those involved. The opening of gas filling stations in conjunction with the stores will improve access to a cleaner road fuel among consumers as well as logistics operators,” says Jukka Metsälä, Vice President, Biogas, from Gasum.

Gasum has opened four new gas filling stations in Finland this year. Currently, there are 36 gas filling stations in Finland, with 24 of these operated by Gasum.