IKEA has pledged to remove the use of single-use plastic straws from its restaurants and product range across the UK and Ireland.

It will no longer offer and sell the plastic straws from 1st October 2018 as part of its commitment to remove all single-use plastic products globally by the end of the decade.

Under its People and Planet Positive strategy commitments for 2030, the company previously said it aims to design all IKEA products to be 100% circular, generating as little waste as possible, making all products and packaging from renewable and recycled materials and cutting its climate footprint by an average of 70% per product.

Hege Sæbjørnsen, Country Sustainability Manager, IKEA UK and Ireland, added: “The world is changing at a rapid rate and bold, urgent actions are required to meet the sustainability challenges we are facing. Plastic pollution is one critical issue to urgently address for a more sustainable future and is something our customers and co-workers are actively passionate about.

“By responding and acting quickly to remove single-use plastic straws, we hope to fuel the energy behind this movement and empower people to see hundreds of other small actions we can all take in our daily lives to have a positive impact on the precious world around us.”