IKEA Stops Selling Window Blinds With Cords That Pose Choking Threats To Kids

IKEA has declared that it will stop selling window blinds with cords in its U.S. stores, because of their choking effects on children. By 2016, the Swedish furniture retailer will put an end to its merchandise, announced the company.

Some information that was drawn up and exhibited to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission explains that between 1996 and 2012, on an average, one child died every month due to the cords, which has made IKEA arrive at its conclusion, according to MarketWatch.

"Product safety is the highest priority for IKEA, which is why we have been working to develop alternative solutions to exposed cords in window coverings. In 2012, IKEA made the commitment to only offer window blinds and coverings with no or non-accessible cords by January of 2016, and we're pleased to be able to announce that we've met this commitment," IKEA U.S. Country Sales Manager Heather Spatz said. "IKEA is committed to working together with our customers to raise awareness of this important issue and to help families get the knowledge they need to ensure a safer everyday life at home."

But IKEA is not the only company that will sell cordless shades, said a spokeswoman for Target. She revealed this past spring that Target had stopped selling window blinds with cords, according to CNN.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission appreciated the move on the part of both companies for stopping the sale of such window blinds with cords.

"This a bold step by IKEA and Target," commission chairman Elliot Kaye said. "This is the exact kind of leadership and corporate responsibility that has been needed to end the decades of senseless and preventable deaths of children from window cord strangulations."

Another company that will follow in their footsteps is Lowe's. A Lowe's spokesman said that by the end of 2018, it will stop selling such blinds.