Ikea’s €200m sustainability pledge; why breaking up (with plastic) is hard, and more top news

The news professionals in Europe are talking about now, curated by LinkedIn’s editors. Join the conversation on today's stories in the comments. 

Ikea will invest an extra €200 million in its push to become carbon neutral by 2030. The Swedish furniture company will invest half of the money in renewable energy projects and put the other half towards reforestation. Ikea stakeholder Ingka Group says it has invested more than €2.5 billion in sustainability efforts over the past decade. In October, Ikea CEO Jesper Brodin told LinkedIn’s Daniel Roth about his firm's massive shift towards sustainability. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Norwegian Air is ditching its long-haul flights from Sweden and Denmark to the US and Thailand. The budget carrier will no longer operate the routes out of Copenhagen and Stockholm, citing weak demand as well as technical issues with the engines on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners. Struggling with profitability, the airline revealed this month it will be “fully funded through 2020 and beyond” after raising 2.5 billion kroner in gross proceeds through a private placement and a convertible bond issue of $150 million. ? Here’s what people are saying.

BMW is cutting back on staff bonuses in Germany as it faces the costly transition to electric and self-driving. The luxury carmaker says it reached an agreement with employees that would reduce payouts, potentially by about 20%, but would help “avoid drastic measures that others are taking to reduce their costs”. Yesterday, it was reported that Audi will shed 9,500 jobs in Germany by 2025 in a bid to save €6 billion as it shifts its focus to electric vehicles. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Backlash against plastic has motivated consumer goods companies including Unilever and Nestle to phase out single-use plastics, but they're facing major logistical challenges as they look to change up their materials. Recycled plastic is in short supply, while refillable options can be expensive and other materials have environmental concerns of their own during the production process. Meanwhile, many smaller initiatives designed to cut down on waste may not scale properly for giants in the industry, reports The Wall Street Journal. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Inactive Twitter users could be set to lose their accounts. The social media behemoth is preparing for a massive cull, targeting users who have been dormant for more than six months — including those who died — because they haven’t agreed to its updated privacy policies. It’s the first time the site, which has 145 million "monetisable" daily active users, has taken the decision to delete accounts on such a large scale. Millions are expected to be affected, starting with those outside of the US. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Idea of the Day: What type of companies will survive the next 50 to 100 years, asks Barbara Humpton, CEO of Siemens USA.

"My bet is that it’ll be the businesses that embrace a larger mission for their work – the ones driven by a purpose to serve society and to leave our planet better than they found it."

What's your take on today’s stories? Share your thoughts in the comments.

— Capucine Yeomans