An affordable solution to indoor air pollution by IKEA: ‘Gunrid’ curtain

IKEA is a Sweden-based furniture retailer that took its concept from Swedish woods some 70 years ago. It has its stores in over 56 countries across the globe and provides great services. Over the years, IKEA has evolved its concept and now claims to have produced curtains that reduce air pollution from within homes.

IKEA says that it is important for them to work on the products that are actually relevant to the people and can contribute to saving the planet. As air is a precondition of life, IKEA wants to make sure it helps people live a better life in a cleaner air. The product developed for this purpose is ‘Gunrid’ with a unique and innovative technology. Gunrid is a curtain whose coating is mineral based and is a photocatalyst, inspired from the process similar to that of photosynthesis.

When exposed to sunlight, photocatalysts activate. It breaks down the harmful odors and pollutants such as formaldehyde. But interestingly, the coating IKEA has developed also reacts similarly to indoor light to break down pollutants.

According to Mauricio Affonso, the product developer, this product has been created with great collaboration of the universities in Europe and Asia. It has taken quite some time and efforts for a team of engineers, scientists and specialists to work on this technology. It has been tested in laboratories and has given successful results. Now, it needs to be tried in homes to prove its effectiveness. For that, IKEA says it will be available in IKEA shops in 2020.

Experts and scientists around the world have highly appreciated the firm’s note taking of World Health Organization report which says that air pollution is the biggest environmental risk. Air pollution alone is responsible in killing one in eight people across the globe due to heart and lung diseases, strokes and respiratory cancer. Around 3 million people die due to outdoor air pollution yearly. Surprisingly, indoor air pollution results in 4.3 million deaths a year. In highly air polluted areas of the world, indoor pollution is five times more prevalent than the outdoor.

This research caused great worry for IKEA. Mauricio says that, “Few people know about the hazards of indoor pollution so it ultimately became our responsibility to make them aware of this dangerous fact and provide a solution as well. We intended to create something that can be deployed inside homes without taking much space”.

People are looking forward to their purchase next year to have an affordable solution to reduce indoor air pollution. IKEA has not revealed its price yet but claims it to be quite affordable for a healthier life which makes IKEA customers quite happy.