After two weeks of rising public pressure, Swedish furniture maker Ikea will extend a recent product recall to China.
With safety officials blaming chests and dressers for the deaths of at least six toddlers in falling accidents, Ikea recalled 29 million items of furniture in the US last week. It initially excluded China and Europe from the recall, saying its products in those regions met local regulations. But after criticism online and in the government-controlled Chinese media, Ikea has switched course and says it will recall 1.7 million chests and dressers in China.
“Ikea is a very responsible company, and consumer safety is very important to us,” says company spokeswoman Xian Jiaxin.
However, the recall will still not be extended to the European Union, she says.
For Ikea, the backlash in China was almost immediate, with angry consumers using social media to complain about its recall practices as well as criticise inadequate domestic safety regulations. Xinhua, the official news agency, went so far as to call the recall exclusion “blatant bullying”.
Consumer groups followed with statements decrying the company’s decision. Then, 11 days after the US recall, Ikea said it would discuss the possibility of a recall with the Chinese Consumers’ Association, a government-established watchdog group, and government officials.
Ikea’s China sales for the fiscal year ended in September totalled $1.55 billion.
Meanwhile, product recalls are so rare in China that many consumers cannot recall a single one, according to Fortune. Instead of vehicle recalls, for example, online notices will appear warning customers not to buy certain models.
Ikea did not launch a recall in China because there is mandatory standard there requiring large furniture to be anchored to a wall,” says Ikea spokeswoman Linda Xu.
Meanwhile, Ikea’s Chinese website features a graphic of a happy child under the headline Secure it, with a link to a page urging customers to ensure their Ikea dressers and chests of drawers are securely anchored to a wall using restraints provided in the packaging.
