Press Release: Inter IKEA acquires a 12.5% stake in plastics deep tech NILO

NILO is proud to announce that it is entering into a development and access agreement with Inter IKEA. NILO is a deep tech company that has developed and patented a plastic waste-derived adhesive for use in the production of wood-based boards.

As part of this agreement, Inter IKEA Development B.V. has acquired a 12.5% stake in the company and Andrew McIntosh, Innovation Partnership Leader at IKEA Innovation Ventures, has joined its board of directors effective immediately.

“IKEA is committed to our strategy of being People and Planet Positive. The investment in NILO shows our commitment to working with innovative startups that can support and help accelerate the IKEA material innovation agenda. NILO’s approach to the creation of this adhesive shows real potential, and we are hopeful the collaboration will be mutually beneficial” said McIntosh. “The performance and physical qualities show promise and we want to support NILO and help develop the adhesive with a mutual ambition to get it into scaled trials. From our position as a shareholder we can support the path forward and look forward to working closely with the management and board of NILO.”

The world faces a non-degradable plastic waste challenge. 350 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated every year. Only 9% of plastic is recycled, leaving the rest to clog our landfills, incinerators and waterways. NILO’s team of chemists and engineers have created technology that repurposes this plastic waste.

The result is a non-toxic adhesive that both addresses the plastic recycling challenge and can replace one of the world’s most prevalent adhesives, urea formaldehyde. While urea formaldehyde is a highly effective and durable material with a long history in the wood-based board industry, it has a high carbon footprint and a few more crucial flaws. There is currently no scalable alternative underlying the significance of the issue.

“This is a fabulous moment for NILO,” said Glen Willoughby, NILO’s CEO. “Our team has worked tirelessly on this, and to have our technology recognized by one of the world’s leading firms with deep expertise in the wood-based board market provides huge validation of what NILO has created. The knowledge and expertise Inter IKEA will bring will help NILO progress our technology immensely.”

Willoughby said NILO’s vision extends beyond urea formaldehyde to utilise the enormous volumes of plastic waste of grades and types currently not readily recycled to create a range of adhesives for use in different industrial applications. NILO is committed to ensuring that the performance and pricing of these adhesives are comparable to existing market alternatives so that they can readily be adapted into the value chain. Additionally, the end-of-life products created with NILO adhesives will also be able to be reprocessed into new products, an essential for the circular economy.

Media contact
Jonathan Englert, AndironGroup (Communications)
jonathan@andirongroup.com 
+61 0411 7180 74

Contacts from IKEA

• Range and Supply

For questions regarding the IKEA range: how we design and develop our products, including the IKEA food offer, and questions regarding how we source and distribute them, please contact us here:

• pressoffice.rangesupply@inter.ikea.com

About NILO

We are chemists, engineers, technologists and entrepreneurs on an urgent mission to help save our planet. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, NILO is a deep tech company focused on turning waste plastics into new products that seamlessly integrate into the world’s existing supply chain driving rapid replacement and adoption of problem materials like urea formaldehyde and concrete. NILO’s investors include: SDG Impact Japan, Clare Foundation, Icehouse Ventures, and K1W1. Learn more at NILO.world

About IKEA

IKEA offers well-designed, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. There are several companies with different owners, working under the IKEA Brand, all sharing the same vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people. IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943.

About the IKEA franchise system

The IKEA retail business is operated through a franchise system with franchisees that are authorized to market and sell the IKEA product range within specified geographical territories. Inter IKEA Systems B.V. is the owner of the IKEA Concept and worldwide IKEA franchisor, who also assigns different IKEA companies to develop the product range, supply products and deliver communication solutions. Today, 12 different groups of companies have the right to own and operate IKEA sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V.

About Inter IKEA Group

Inter IKEA Group includes Inter IKEA Systems B.V., IKEA of Sweden AB, IKEA Supply AG and IKEA Industry AB related businesses. Inter IKEA Holding B.V. is the holding company for the Inter IKEA Group. More information about Inter IKEA Holding and Inter IKEA Group: www.inter.ikea.com