In recent years, IKEA has become more health and environmentally-conscious, removing Styrofoam from packaging, reducing plastic use, and even planning to use only renewable and recycled materials in its products by 2030. The company launched products perfect for city-dwellers wanting to get in touch with nature, including a sustainable DIY indoor garden, as well as a hydroponic gardening system that goes in your very own kitchen. Now, IKEA plans on helping buyers breathe easier with air-purifying curtains.
The new Gundrid curtains employ some pretty high-tech ways of purifying the air. They don’t use any special filters or electricity. Instead, the curtains contain a mineral-based photocatalyst activated by both indoor and outdoor light that works a lot like photosynthesis.
Read: IKEA may Nix Use of Environmentally-Destructive Styrofoam
Once activated, the Gundrid curtains filter out common indoor air pollutants, including formaldehyde.
An IKEA representative explained:
“Successful laboratory tests have been carried out to ensure that the photocatalyst coating works and that it is safe. The next step is chamber tests and home tests to confirm that Gundrid efficiently removes volatile organic compounds in a room.”
Mauricio Affonso, Product Developer at IKEA Range & Supply, said in a press release:
Source: Ikea
“For me, it’s important to work on products that solve actual problems and are relevant to people. Textiles are used across homes, and by enabling a curtain to purify the air, we are creating an affordable and space-saving air purifying solution that also makes the homes more beautiful.”
IKEA noted in the press release that 91% of the world’s population is exposed to air pollution, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines for health and safety.
Read: IKEA Launches Sustainable DIY Indoor Garden
Lena Pripp-Kovac, Head of Sustainability at Inter IKEA Group, added:
“Besides enabling people to breathe better air at home, we hope that Gundrid will increase people’s awareness of indoor air pollution, inspiring behavioral changes that contribute to a world of clean air.
Gundrid is the first product to use the technology, but the development will give us opportunities for further applications on other textiles.”