As part of our ongoing commitment to responsible design, we are continuing to examine the ways in which our products contribute to electronic waste, and how we can address our impact in this area. 

This means evolving our understanding of the needs of our community and our environment, and how our products can serve them. We are therefore focusing on creating the conditions where users will only need to invest in one pair of headphones for life. 

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a growing problem across the globe, and the music creation market is no exception. A 2020 report by the United Nations University estimated that the total amount of e-waste generated globally reached 53.6 million metric tons in 2019, with only 17.4% of this waste being properly collected and recycled. 

Electronic music production equipment, such as synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, and digital audio workstations, have become essential tools for musicians and producers, but they also have a significant environmental impact when they reach the end of their useful life. This is in part due to the rapid pace of technological advancement, as well as the difficulty in recycling components of the equipment. A 2021 report by the Green Music Initiative estimated that the music industry in Europe generated approximately 350,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions and 114,000 metric tons of waste in 2019. 

Through our lifetime trade-in program, we are addressing our role in the e-waste landscape. With this program, users leverage our modular product design to get maximum value from their headphones by swapping out a part or trading in the entire thing. When you send in your used or non-functional headphones or parts, you receive credit towards your next purchase. We believe that everyone deserves a product that will allow them to experience music in the best way possible, and without the need to constantly buy new versions. 

Since the launch of our first headphones in 2010, we have been dedicated to responsible product design. We've come a long way and we are just getting started. If you’ve ideas on how we can do better, we’d love to hear from you. Please reach out on [email protected].