"I appreciate IKEA's commitment to bringing quality home furnishings to as many people as possible by keeping their costs and prices low. It's encouraging and inspiring to see a company that values its customers in such practical ways. I especially appreciate their commitment to sustainability across their supply chain and the fact that they are constantly improving sustainable possibilities throughout their business, from souring all of their wood from sustainable sources by 2020 to only selling energy-efficient LED lighting. They're making the world a better place while making their customers happy -- it's a win-win."

"In my opinion, everyone should be able to afford quality furniture: too many companies today sell cheap products at high prices, but IKEA breaks that mold. I loved reading about the way Ingvar Kamprad started his business back in the 1940s: he had a simple idea and a vision to include people from all economic levels in the pursuit of quality, no-nonsense furniture."

According to IKEA, "Democratic Design is a tool we use when we develop and evaluate the products we put into our range. It has five dimensions, which are function, form, quality, sustainability, and low price. When there is a balance between all five, we consider that the design is democratic. The form is for beauty. It's what attracts the eye, and the object has to be functional, otherwise, it won't be used. When objects and materials last over time, that's quality. Being mindful of resources is something that has been with us since the start. We don't like complicated solutions and wastefulness, it's bad for everyone. Part of sustainability is about using exactly the right materials for the function and using them sparingly, but sustainability also means taking responsibility all the way through a product's life. It starts with how we source materials, to the people who produce the product, all the way through to our clients."