Climate Week Zurich: How retail giant IKEA built the business case for sustainability

All Things Sustainable is the official podcast of th e inaugural Climate Week Zurich taking place May 4-9, and all week we're bringing you special daily episodes from Zurich. In our fourth episode of the week , we're talking to a leader who spent 30 years working for Swedish retail giant IKEA: Jesper Brodin. Jesper recently retired after eight years as CEO of Ingka Group, the primary operator of IKEA's global home furnishing stores, and in March 2026 he was named Board Chair of The Earthshot Prize . Climate Week Zurich includes a focus on how sustainability can build competitive advantage , and in our interview Jesper explains how his career continuously showed him that companies can embr ace sustainability without sacrific ing economic benefits , quality o r affordability. "It actually is a good business to be a good business, " he says. To navigate geopolitical headwinds, Jesper says sustainable businesses need to strike the right balance between near-term and long-term thinking. "I think a long-term view gives you perspective . Then I think you should operate with a short-term anxiety and drive," Jesper says. "Governments and presidents will come and go, but the issues about climate change and about resource scarcity will remain." William Prince of Wales launched The Earthshot P rize in 2020 to find and scale innovative solutions to the world's biggest environmental challenges by 2030. Listen to our previous interviews with an Ea r thshot Prize winner and finalist here : How Earthshot Prize winner Coral Vita tackles reef restoration | S&P Global Climate Week, meet Fashion Week | S&P Global The All Things Sustainable podcast will be back with more special coverage from Climate Week Zurich tomorrow , so please stay tuned. Learn more about events S&P Global is hosting during Climate Week Zurich: Climate W eek Zurich 2026 : Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity | S&P Global Copyright ©2026 by S&P Global DISCLAIMER By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk . Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party's unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global's prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights). This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein . Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties . S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

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Climate Week Zurich: How retail giant IKEA built the business case for sustainability is an episode from ESG Insider: A podcast from S&P Global by S&P Global.

This episode is 30:15 long.

This episode was published on May 7, 2026.

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