The film is about how IKEA understands that you don't need your furniture forever. In real homes across Norway we see unwanted furniture, alongside the reason of why they're no longer needed.

The brutally honest film doesn't shy away from addressing the honest and sometimes darker sides of life. Everything from office furniture where a pandemic company went bankrupt, a bed from a broken marriage, a wine rack where the owner stopped drinking, to kitchen furniture from the seventies where the owner has passed away. Together, the furniture makes up a real collection from IKEA: The Life Collection 2022.

At the end we see the furniture back at IKEA to be re-sold in their second-hand stores. It ends with the line "Whatever the reason - give used furniture new life at IKEA" followed by a dynamic title saying The DIVORCE, TEMPORARY, BANKRUPT, BORED, DEATH, PREGNANT, BOYFRIEND, LIFE Collection 2022

In Norway alone, over 3 million pieces of furniture are thrown away each year. A lot of it is from IKEA. We conducted an experiment at Oslo’s biggest landfill and the results was shocking: 70% of all discarded IKEA-furniture could have been re-sold in IKEA’s second hand stores. With their new second-hand stores, IKEA wanted to shift the focus from disposable to sustainable. For a brand that’s known for aspirational ads and glossy new collections, we needed to show that we understand that life isn’t always pretty, and that there are many good reasons behind unwanted furniture.

It’s easy to assume IKEA products are thrown away just because they’re inexpensive and “disposable”. But the reality is that life happens. You no longer need a crib when the kid outgrows it, and you don’t want your bed anymore after the divorce.

We collected real discarded IKEA furniture in homes across Norway and turned them into a «new» collection at IKEA. Every brutally honest reason for why the furniture was no longer needed was used in a disruptive film. All the real furniture featured in the film was resold back at IKEA’s second-hand stores across the country.

After the launch, there was a clear shift in numbers. Furniture sold back to IKEA increased by 120%, and the amount of used furniture bought in their second-hand stores went up 143%. And best of all, by daring to show the honest and sometimes negatives sides of life, the positive impression of IKEA rose - to an all-time high.