Sustainable sound

Like all other sectors, the audio industry must pursue potentials that ensure a sustainable society.

The industry has – in addition to the embedded focus on noise reduction – a strongly increasing awareness of living up to, among other things, UN global goals, climate law and EU reporting requirements.

Recycling and reuse of consumer electronics 

The environmental footprint from the audio industry in relation to the production of electronic equipment is primarily about the types of materials consumed rather than the quantities. 

As importers and manufacturers of electrical products, the audio industry is co-responsible for recycling or disposing of electronic waste (and soon packaging) in an environmentally responsible manner. However, not all electronic waste comes to the recycling station to be reused or recycled, and not all companies know how to comply with the regulations in this area.

With "Beosound Level", the pattern breaker Bang og Olufsen has developed the very first Cradle to Cradle Certified® loudspeaker in the consumer electronics industry, and has thus demonstrated that it is possible to make a paradigm shift from a linear to a circular system in the consumer electronics industry. 

Work is underway to establish an actual project on a joint industry solution to increase sustainability in consumer electronics. In collaboration with TÆNK / the Consumer Council, the industry organization Applia and Dansk Erhverv, Danish Sound Cluster has submitted an application for a project that will produce concrete initiatives for more sustainability around consumer electronics, e.g. increased lifespan, better opportunities for repair and recycling of electronic waste at the end of the product -of-life”.

Reduction of power consumption in consumer electronics

Electronics use power and the industry is naturally looking at how to create automated solutions that reduce power consumption and how to influence consumer behavior in a more sustainable direction. 

In the field of hearing and other areas with battery-powered microelectronics, there is quite naturally a strong incentive for low power consumption to ensure the longest possible "up time" before the next charge. Low power consumption is a competitive parameter.

Sustainability and acoustic materials

Within the acoustics and construction industry, there is a lot of activity and everything from bio-based ceiling and wall panels and reuse of building materials to the upcycling of materials (e.g. textile, plastic, etc.) in acoustic regulating products is being experimented with. The field pays a lot of attention to reducing emissions, but also to how a sustainable indoor climate in the form of moisture, ventilation, acoustics and degassing affects our well-being.

Social sustainability, sound and acoustics

In the field of tension between people, sound and technology, aspects of social sustainability emerge. Here, the industry works with how sound and adapted acoustic conditions can promote solidarity, inclusion, tolerance and respect for differences. Well-functioning sound environments – outside and inside – help to promote health, well-being and the energy to participate in society. Among other things, work is with these questions:

  • What does noise do to the experience of urban space - in terms of security, desire to participate in society, etc.?
  • How can optimal (building) acoustics in schools, workplaces, public institutions, restaurants, etc. promote the inclusion of people with special needs (hearing loss, sound sensitivity, autism, anxiety, dementia, etc.)?
  • How can optimal sound conditions increase work satisfaction and profit in everyday life - for everyone?
  • How can we develop Virtual Reality experiences (with optimal sound), where people with special needs can "practice" a situation or get, for example, a concert experience that they would otherwise never be able to get due to their disability?
Prevention of hearing damage

The WHO warns that over 1 billion young people are at risk of hearing damage due to the way they interact with music, e.g. massive use of headphones, loud music at concerts, sporting events and the like. When the hearing is strained early in life, you also run the risk of hearing loss earlier, and more and more people will therefore have hearing loss from the age of 40-50 and the risk of tinnitus.

Together with the Hearing Association and the music industry, Danish Sound Cluster participates in prevention activities and campaigns around the use of headsets, participation in concerts and festival events, etc. Solutions are also being developed in the audio products themselves, which make it possible to set upper limits for sound pressure and give warnings about high sound levels.

Network activities in the Danish Sound Cluster

Danish Sound Cluster has established a network on sustainable transformation across the sound industry's focus areas with a view to learning about Best-Practice, circular business models, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), solutions for own production and distribution and - not least - developing joint and collective value chains with a view to recycling.

Danish Sound Cluster

Stay up to date

Sign up for our newsletter: