Denmark – Multinational furniture company Ikea’s latest meatball will not be served in its cafeterias, but rather in the gardens of its customers. The seed ball is a re-invention of the company’s signature snack to boost insect biodiversity.
To raise awareness of the decline of wild habitats for endangered insects, Ikea Denmark partnered with WWF Denmark to create seed balls comprising soil, clay and wildflowers that can be readily planted to rewild a given environment. Corn cockles, chamomile and poppies are among the flowers selected for the seed balls, which were picked for their appealing qualities for endangered insects. According to the company’s press release, ‘Denmark is one of the most intensively cultivated countries in Europe,’ and ‘more than 60% of Danish nature is cultivated land’, leaving little room for wild nature.
Ikea’s seed balls coincide with the revival of guerrilla gardening, something which we recently explored in the Nature-hacking market. The initiative, which takes a hyper-local approach, demonstrates how companies can factor in a location's specific characteristics when promoting eco-initiatives.
Strategic opportunity
With the rise of gardening as a hobby, companies can take inspiration from Ikea and release DIY kits that are tailored to specific areas