Sustainability Part II: Brands

Building on part one of our sustainability feature, we are focusing on the brand side of things this time. Many tech companies such as Grado and Focal have been experimenting with products made from sustainable materials like wood and bamboo, and some big brands including Sony and Jabra use recycled plastic with intentions of introducing more and more recycled materials in the future. Let’s look at some names in more detail!

Pioneers

This section is about brands that put a lot of original thought into the environmental aspect of their business. These particular businesses integrate their products into the concept of sustainability as opposed to the other way around.

Fairphone

Founded by Bas van Abel, Fairphone is a Dutch social enterprise company specialising in the production of fairer smartphones by reducing ecological impact. “With every phone we make, we’re getting closer to a fairer and more sustainable electronics industry. From responsible material sourcing to advocating for workers’ welfare, we share all our results freely and set new standards for the entire industry.” These are some of the Fairphone core interests:

House of Marley

Co-founded in 2008 by Bob Marley’s son, Rohan Marley, the brand uses only sustainable materials across its range of speakers, earbuds, headphones, turntables and accessories, with the goal to carry forth his father’s legacy of “love for music and planet.”

House of Marley products are sustainably crafted from mindfully sourced materials including bamboo, FSC certified wood, recyclable aluminium and the exclusive REWIND fabric, constructed from reclaimed organic cotton, recycled PET and reclaimed hemp.

Making considered design decisions allows them to provide deeper, more meaningful experiences that ultimately result positive change. Every year, House of Marley makes donations to One Tree Planted and has contributed to the planting of 223,000 trees. 

Ecosia

“The search engine that plants trees” uses the profit made from every user search to plant trees where they are needed most. The 50 reasons to use their service include:

Think hard before you open Google to look up the menu of the restaurant you have reservations at next time. 😉

For a comprehensive look on some of the big players in the consumer electronics industry and their sustainability scores, take a look at a ranking put together by Eupedia, which combines the S&P Global Environmental social government index as well as a Newsweek and Greenpeace ranking.

Our Partner Brands

This next section looks at sustainability initiatives put in place by some of our very own partner brands.

Zound Industries

Through clever designs, careful choice of materials and tech innovation, Zound creates enduring products to reduce climate and social impact. Assessing new materials and technical solutions to using sustainable design tools and guidelines equates working towards a circular future.

To get a holistic view of their climate impact, the company calculates emissions based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and work towards reducing impact across the entire value chain. In an effort to improve areas in question, Zound strives to collaborate with a select number of long-term suppliers who share their values and sustainability vision.

Urbanears

Urbanears, in particular, leads the way when it comes to a circular and climate-neutral future. In their 2021 manifesto, they describe a range of initiatives in 10 different areas, from product portfolio, to retail all the way to workers’ rights, packaging and zero waste production. The level of detail, transparency on the goals and status is impressive, putting Urbanears on a new trajectory. The goal of the brand is to be climate-neutral in 2030 and to lead the way for sustainable practices in the audio electronics industry.

Blueair

Air purification is an environmentally conscious endeavour by definition. Blueair’s purpose is to provide clean air for the next generation, and their award-winning air purifiers do just that:

Creating a safe environment for children to develop and grow while making the least impact on the environment. The brand collaborates with NGOs, media, academia and local governments to drive awareness on the positive impact of clean air for a child’s health and learning, donating high-performing air to schools in different countries across the world.

Mysoda

Mysoda’s company philosophy is as green as it gets! Their primary objective is to help people create fizzy moments that don’t recklessly tax the planet’s resources instead of getting them bottled at the store.

That’s why they build sparkling water makers from sustainable biocomposite instead of fossil-based plastic and have started replacing the traditional plastic caps of their CO2 cylinders with ones made of sugarcane.

Sjöstrand

Our latest brand addition, Swedish espresso coffee machine maker Sjöstrand, is a true trailblazer when it comes to sustainable practices in the capsule coffee industry. Sjöstrand have have changed the concept of capsule coffee from one of the worst environmental villains to a harmonious combination of Swedish design and sustainability. Their machines are produced in stainless steel for a long service life, and the coffee is100% organic, Fairtrade and climate-positive, packed in compostable capsules made of plant fibers. On top of that, Sjöstrand climate-compensates through Vi-Agroforestry, an organisation that plants trees and fights poverty.

Braun

Braun, and by extension Braun Audio, operate under the guiding principles of durability, repairability and recyclability because they want to protect the world. Aware that e-waste and discarded electronics are a huge challenge for manufacturers, Braun is all about meaningful desing that’s built to last and inspires responsible use by offering consumers the chance to choose quality and durability, with the opportunity to repair and recycle.

The quality and durability of Braun appliances means it takes a lot longer for them to become e-waste. Repairing items and not having to replace them frequently helps to reduce e-waste. And when the time for disposal does come, recycling your device through a regulated service ensures that most elements find a new purpose, while others are thrown out safely.

These initiatives taken by brands to contribute to a more sustainable future show that there is always a way to live less wastefully. With more and more people shifting to this type of mindset, it is only logical that more and more companies are following suit. As Dieter Rams put it many decades ago already: “Good design is environmentally friendly.”

Read part one exploring the consumer and retail side.