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Building IKEA furniture is a true test of a person’s patience. We’ve all dropped one of those metal twist-cap things and it’s gone forever, or hammered a dowel into the wrong tiny, preset hole, fracturing the side of a Malm. Finally, though, there is an answer to all our maddening construction problems. The flat-pack retailer has heard our screams and will begin selling spare parts on its global site by this summer. 

The breakthrough comes as part of the brand’s sustainability program, which hopes to correct the “disposable” aspects of its products by making them repairable. First, assembly pieces like dowels, nails, and bolts will be available for most of the furniture, but eventually IKEA plans to offer extra armrests, cushions, and wood planks. That way, when the padding on a Uppland chair starts to break down, that single component can be replaced rather than purchasing an entire unit. Not to mention, being able to buy extra parts could expand on potential projects for IKEA hackers.

The retailer’s report on reducing its carbon footprint also included several other programs—a buy-back initiative for furniture; an update on the progress toward its 2030 Forestry Positive Agenda for using renewable energy and materials; and a new partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to become a more circular, sustainable society. 

Picture it: You’re at home, assembling a new Pax cabinet. All of a sudden the drill slips and the screw falls to the ground, never to be seen again. Do you freak out? No. Just reach for your backups and finish the job in peace.

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