Greenwashing exists in all industries, audio tech included. Some headphones and earbuds are marketed as being sustainable or eco-friendly, but the facts behind the buzzwords are key to consider.
How Do Manufacturers Label Headphones as “Eco-Friendly”?
The criteria for what makes a pair of headphones or earbuds “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” varies from product to product, and brand to brand.
There are companies like House of Marley that have a whole mission statement associated with eco-consciousness, stating that a portion of their sales proceeds go toward reforestation through Project Marley. This project gives money to One Tree Planted, which does exactly what it sounds like it does: plants trees. House of Marley also touts many of the materials they use, like bamboo, fabric made from recycled materials, and recycled metals, as being sustainable.
Another example is Sony, which isn’t a company with eco-consciousness as its main mission, but claims to be moving toward toward sustainability by utilizing recycled plastics in a number of its flagship audio products, and has been working toward eliminating plastic packaging by 2025, and reducing the company’s environmental footprint to zero by 2050.
Other companies that aren’t wholly focused on eco-consciousness may have one or two items in their lineup that are marketed as being sustainable. Skullcandy has the EcoBuds, which have a battery-free charging dock to reduce lithium usage, and is made of 65% recycled plastics. Overall, Skullcandy claims the earbuds have a 50% reduced carbon footprint compared to comparable products, but don’t specify a ton on what that looks like or truly means.
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Of the above examples, labels to do with eco-friendliness vary widely, with recycled plastic being a major through line, and to a lesser degree the reduction of lithium usage and specific methods of carbon offsetting. That’s not even to mention that tree-planting has to be done with care and attention to individual ecosystems where trees are being planted, otherwise it can lead to more environmental devastation when done improperly.
Wireless Earbuds Aren’t Very Sustainable to Begin With
Inherent in anything with a rechargeable battery is a finite lifespan. This is because every time a battery goes through a charge cycle, it slowly but surely loses capacity. According to The New York Times, the average pair of wireless earbuds lasts about three years.
If people continue to use and purchase wireless earbuds this often, that’s a lot of e-waste being generated, especially considering that in 2022, the World Health Organization found that only 22.3% of e-waste is formally documented as collected and recycled. A lot of e-waste just ends up in landfill, where plastic and metal continue to accumulate, including rare earth metals like lithium. Plus, the extraction of rare earth minerals from mines requires a lot of water and energy, generates waste, and can even involve human rights abuses.
So, while purchasing wireless earbuds made with recycled materials is certainly better for the environment than buying earbuds made with only new materials, it’s a bit of a stretch to call any wireless earbuds “sustainable.” You can certainly make conscious choices to reduce harm where you have a choice, but ultimately, calling any rechargeable technology sustainable is debatable.
Wired Headphones Can Be a More Sustainable Choice
Wired headphones may seem like tech from a bygone era at this point. It feels like everywhere you go, people are rocking AirPods left and right. But if you want to listen to your tunes while living by sustainable principles, the best option is to opt for wired headphones and earbuds.
Because you don’t have to recharge them, the lifespan of wired headphones and earbuds can be significantly longer than wireless options, potentially indefinite if you take fantastic care of them.
You will almost certainly be able to make them last longer than three years, automatically making them a more eco-friendly choice as a consumer. At this point, your only concern would be missing out on the (frankly, gimmicky) features that a lot of wireless earbuds have, and making up for the highly likely lack of a headphone jack on your phone.
The Future of Sustainability in Audio Tech
Manufacturers can’t necessarily make rechargeable batteries last forever, but there’s the potential for more sustainable practices in audio tech. One major one would be ensuring e-waste is actually recycled in order to reduce the amount of plastic and rare earth metals in landfill. This would both ensure plastic can be recycled to make new earbuds, and that lithium can be reused to make new batteries in order to reduce demand from lithium mining operations.
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Expanding the use of recycled materials for all products in a company’s lineup, rather than just one or two, would also be useful overall to both reduce the manufacturing of new plastics and to set a good example for other manufacturers. Additionally, transparency on sustainability and carbon offset initiatives from corporations would help you make more conscious choices about where you spend your money, rather than vague commitments and roadmaps with little detail.
While environmental sustainability is an effort that should be upheld by everyone, including corporations and the biggest polluters, you can also make informed decisions as a consumer and vote with your dollars.
Knowing the truth behind the marketing can help you better understand what you’re putting your money towards when you buy headphones and earbuds, and help you make more conscious choices that align with your principles.
