Making life and business more sustainable is now a priority for governments, manufacturers and individuals. The audio market is among those playing its part, which, as Kevin Hilton reports, was discussed at the 2022 Audio Collaborative conference, hosted by Futuresource Consulting
By Contributor
Published: December 1, 2022
Making life and business more sustainable is now a priority for governments, manufacturers and individuals. The audio market is among those playing its part, which, as Kevin Hilton reports, was discussed at the 2022 Audio Collaborative conference, hosted by Futuresource Consulting
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Sustainability is an issue that has featured regularly on broadcast technology conference programmes in recent years but is usually confined to a specific session. This is now beginning to change as the broadcasting and general media sector comes to realise that ecological awareness should fundamentally inform not only its operations but also the manufacture and distribution of the equipment it uses. The recent Audio Collaborative event in London reflected this, with the need to work in a sustainable way discussed by many of the panels, not just those dedicated to the subject.
This year's event, organised by media research consultancy Futuresource, was the first in-person' conference since 2019. As at that last event, the opening keynote for 2022 was given by Carsten Olesen (pictured), president of consumer audio at Harman International. Sustainability featured heavily in his presentation and follow-up fireside chat'. It was, he said, one of the three main issues influencing audio technology today, together with data and AI (artificial intelligence) and the metaverse.
Picking up the point about sustainable innovation , Olesen said, Our presence on the planet changes the natural world and is a threat to the environmental world. Our industry has a role to play and it must play that role. Examples of people and organisations in the audio and music business who were doing this, he added, were the charity Earth/Percent, A Greener Festival, Julie's Bicycle and former REM singer Michael Stipe, who, in September this year, released the world's first bioplastic 12-inch record. With the EU target of climate neutrality set for 2050, Olesen commented that most hardware manufacturers were backing sustainability, with initiatives including the recycling of plastics.
Two afternoon sessions were given over to discussing how the audio sector is - or should be - working to make itself more sustainable. This segment was opened by Althea Ricketts, associate vice president of corporate initiatives and sustainability champion at Shure, who delivered a shortened version of a presentation she gives to the sound technology market: Sustainability What's in it for the Audio Industry?' That title appears to be have been at least partly inspired by a comment from a senior audio executive who asked Ricketts what audio had to do with climate change. Ricketts went on to illustrate how much global warming and other environmental concerns should be as much a major consideration for the audio sector as any other area of life.
Beginning with the Webster's dictionary definition of sustainability - using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged and staying within the bounds of finite resources - Ricketts set out to look at how that related to the audio industry, including associates, community, product and the environment. It is a balance of the triple bottom lines, she said, people, planet and profit. With community it is about being a good corporate citizen.
It was also, she added, about keeping an eye on the future , with the United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals providing serious targets for companies and individuals alike. All the goals have a direct impact on your business, Ricketts commented. Those most connected to audio are: responsible consumption and production; industry innovation and infrastructure; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; climate action; life on land; life below water; clean water and sanitation; and sustainable cities and communities.
Ricketts revealed that what keeps her up at night is the thought of e-waste, the growing amount of electrical and electronic devices that are discarded either wholly or in part. The Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics (first published in 2017) set out how manufacturers could take responsibility for the supply chain footprint, design sustainable products and also be responsible for the end of life chain . This last point includes repairing or refurbishing equipment, with Apple setting an example through its Daisy recycling robots. Ricketts encouraged people to start asking questions and concluded by quoting the late British environment minister Michael Meacher: Forward thinking companies that adapt positively to the sustainable business agenda will be at the forefront of resource productivity, reducing waste and of environmental reporting.
The following panel discussion Sounding Out on Sustainability featured Ricketts, Dom Robinson, co-founder of international awareness forum Greening of Streaming; Andy Dowell, head of licensing at rendering technology developer MQA; and moderator Chris Carey of research agency Opinium. Responding to the question of how big a problem streaming posed in terms of sustainability, Robinson gave the bald statistic that it consumes between one and two per cent of world energy, which is the same as the aviation sector. Not everything needs to be delivered at 8K UHD, he said. We need to optimise energy. Lord of the Rings works in UHD but it's not necessary for eight channels being shown in a pub with only one person watching. For passiv
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions for broadcast, post, and professional AV will showcase its latest signal processing solutions at B...
19/05/2026
Media Links, a leading developer and manufacturer of IP media transport solutions, has announced the integration of its Xscend platform with Skyline Communicat...
19/05/2026
Collaboration expands regional partner ecosystem as Media Links showcases IP media transport solutions on stand 4M4-4 and alongside Clearcast Asia on stand
Me...
19/05/2026
Company Highlights Labor-Saving Control and Custom Branding Opportunities Designed to Increase Integrator Profitability
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of ele...
19/05/2026
Mago Studio Moves AI Video Beyond Prompts with New Production-Focused Tools
Brie Clayton May 18, 2026
0 Comments
New Capabilities Bring Controllable, ...
19/05/2026
It May be Time to Stop and Take an AI Breather
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
If the rock you stay on starts to roll, jump clean. Or you'll...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
Agentic AI inference at one-tenth the cost per token with NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL7...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
Making life and business more sustainable is now a priority for governments, manufacturers and individuals. The audio market is among those playing its part, which, as Kevin Hilton reports, was discussed at the 2022 Audio Collaborative conference, hosted by Futuresource Consulting
