IKEA Pilots Inclusive Employment Scheme

Ingka Group has integrated two Swiss social enterprises into its primary supply chain through a commercial pilot launched in May 2026. The move marks the first operational deployment of its Social Enterprise Partnership (SEP) Programme.

IKEA Switzerland contracted BAND and VEBO to deliver kitchen installation and repair services across central and western Switzerland. Both organisations employ people with disabilities and individuals requiring additional workplace support as a core business practice rather than a corporate social responsibility project.

The arrangement operates at comparable cost to conventional vendors. Each service team pairs a licensed supervisor with an employee who has a disability, replacing the standard two-carpenter model used by traditional suppliers.

Raphael Guillard, Global Supply Chain Partnerships Leader at Ingka Group, says: "This pilot in Switzerland shows something we've long believed: that social enterprises are not a compromise: they are a real supply chain option. The SEP Programme exists to unlock exactly this kind of partnership, and we intend to replicate it across markets. Inclusive employment and business performance are not in tension. This proves they can go hand in hand."

Framework for inclusive sourcing

The SEP Programme provides a structured global framework connecting corporate supply chains with businesses that create employment for marginalised groups. It emerged from a collaboration between IKEA Social Entrepreneurship and Yunus Social Innovation.

According to Ingka Group, IKEA Social Entrepreneurship has supported nearly 200 social enterprises across 35 countries since 2012. The support prepares these organisations to function as commercial partners capable of meeting corporate procurement standards.

Yunus Social Innovation contributes strategic expertise for designing inclusive value chains. Together, the organisations provide methodology and local matching capabilities to connect individual Ingka markets with qualified social enterprises.

BAND will manage direct kitchen assemblies whilst VEBO will initially handle after-sales and repairs before expanding into full installations. 

Employment model in practice

The staffing approach allows partner companies to deliver services meeting commercial requirements whilst expanding employment access for individuals frequently excluded from skilled trades. The customer journey remains unchanged from standard IKEA service protocols.

When a customer requires a repair, IKEA's internal support team forwards the request to BAND or VEBO. IKEA handles shipping spare parts to the customer's home whilst the social enterprise schedules and executes the service visit.

Operational flexibility and scale

The service operates as a native offering rather than an external referral. Both enterprises will receive support to scale operations and employ additional people with disabilities as the pilot expands.

Annik Müller, Sustainability Business Partner at IKEA Switzerland, adds: "They're very fast at setting up new solutions, and they are very willing to test and try. They brought ideas we hadn't considered: new repair services and new business models. It was a good reminder to stay open, and that is exactly the collaborative energy we want to build on."

The pilot uses an iterative approach, testing and refining workflows based on customer feedback collected during live operations. Both BAND and VEBO bring established presence in Switzerland and demonstrated track records in inclusive employment practices.

The programme could show whether workforce models centred on disability inclusion can operate at commercial scale within corporate supply chains. Ingka Group stated it intends to replicate the partnership structure across other markets.