9:38am Thursday 28th December 2006
By Jane Bruccoleri
While many bosses settle for buying a festive drink at the local or a mince pie at work, managers at retail giant Ikea have been giving a Christmas present with a green theme.
Ikea staff, including those at Ikea's biggest branch in Croydon, were presented with a brand new folding bike last week.
The bikes are part of an effort by Ikea to go greener and it is hoped they will encourage staff to choose more eco-friendly methods of communting.
Each co-worker will also be eligible for 15 per cent subsidised travel tickets to encourage them to use public transport - a discount which could bring savings of £225 a year.
Ikea UK country manager, Peter Hogsted, said: "We want to create a better everyday life for the many and do what we can to make greener living possible. This is both for our co-workers, as well as our millions of customers.
"The bike is a fun present but there is a serious message. We all have a responsibility to do what we can to protect the environment."
John Sauven from Greenpeace added: "Ikea is providing a wonderful example of a truly green Christmas present. If Goldman Sachs followed Ikea's example of providing their staff with bikes that can go on public transport instead of multi-million pound bonuses for fast cars and big houses we would be well on the way to saving the planet."
Ikea's green credentials were given a further boost earlier in the year when it made a change to its plastic bag policy.
By introducing charges and encouraging use of reusable bags, the store has helped reduce plastic bag consumption across the country by 97 per cent.
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