Bang & Olufsen is a big name in the audio reality , with its speaker , headphones and television receiver – and for good intellect . The ship’s company ’s products usually examine incredibly well when we get them in for review , and you ’ll often see them featured in ourbest earpiece , best lawful wirelessandbest speakerguides .
But , are its products sustainably made ? As part of our gist value that purport to highlight that globose thaw is n’t a myth , Trusted Reviewssends a serial of questionsto every company about the efforts it ’s pee to serve reduce the impact of its products on the planet .
Below is a breakdown of the answers we received from Bang & Olufsen on the measures it ’s presently take .
Do you have an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) or equivalent public product sustainability policy?
Answer : Yes . Bang & Olufsen is committed to understate the untoward wallop on the surroundings from the company ’s own operations and its supply chain of mountains , as well as being committed to ceaselessly reducing the footprint of the company ’s products over their intact lifecycle . Resource efficiency , useableness and gamey calibre as standard have been an entire part of the company ’s day-after-day functioning for old age , and Bang & Olufsen has been widely recognised from a functional , aesthetic and technological perspective for the design and long - endure feature of its product . It is the company ’s ambitiousness to labor the boundaries even further by create more sustainable product while also improving the substance abuser experience .
In September 2021 , ourBeosound Levelbecamethe first ever Cradle to Cradle Certified speakerin the consumer electronics manufacture . In addition , Bang & Olufsen is also among the first companies to receive the certification under the Modern Cradle to Cradle Certified Version 4.0 criterion – the most ambitious and actionable criterion for designing and making products today that enable a sustainable tomorrow .
The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute ’s Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard has long been regarded as the most trusted and innovative science - found standard for designing and fabrication products that maximise wellness and wellbeing for people and the major planet .
The fourth adaptation of Cradle to Cradle certify feature new and enhanced requirements in all operation categories . This include , but is not limit to , new theoretical account for Product Circularity , more rigorous requirements in Clean Air & Climate Protection to promote urgent action to address clime change , as well as improve alignment of Material Health requirements with lead chemical substance ordinance and other touchstone . The end finish of the Cradle to birthplace school of thought is to make a ego - sustain world where materials are seen as nutrients that disperse in closed in loops and finally serve to design out waste .
Current environmental and disk shape study on our products include integrating of the Cradle to Cradle standard into our product development process , exploration of the use of goods and services of reuse fabric , greater sourcing transparency , less impactful packaging , among others .
presently , we do not currently have Environmental Product Declarations for our individual products .
B&O ’s Stakeholder and Sustainability Policy is available on our corporate websitehere .
Are you a carbon neutral company? If not, do you have a roadmap to become one?
resolution : Today , we ’re not a carbon paper neutral company , but we have a put forward ambition to bring towards climate neutrality . We ’re work consistently to cut the CO2 emission of our procedure by manage energy consumption and environmental impact in accord with the principle of the ISO 14001 standard . So while we ’re not yet a C electroneutral company , we have a roadmap to attain this , and have two in public stated targets for this financial year colligate to carbon diminution in our military operation .
These are :
Is every employee in your company on a living wage?
respond : Yes . We do n’t have accreditation to validate this ; however , all salaries start out ahead of the London lower limit wage , disregarding of fix .
Does your supply chain pay employees a living wage under the same criteria?
reply : At Bang & Olufsen , we ’re attached to a framework of principle and policies that include deference for universally recognize measure for protection of human rights , labour conditions , zero leeway towards child or impel Labour Party , and anti - subversion , as sketch in the 10 principle of UN Global Compact . As a result , we engage with our supply chain and spouse to insure sure minimum standards consort to the UN Global Compact and other relevant measure and norms , as well as to drive uninterrupted improvements to see that all our suppliers manoeuvre in compliance with the requirements . These necessity and dream are captured in our Supplier Code of Conduct , which is useable on our websitehere .
Suppliers that are deemed to be at a high peril of deviation from the Code of Conduct requirements are audit through on - website evaluations by sovereign third parties at least once every two years . In the retiring two years , we ’ve audited gamy - risk intersection related suppliers that report for 98.6 % of our product - interrelate spend . These audits let in assessment of employee working condition and practices . It ’s our scene that if there were a concern around legal lower limit being pay to our provider ’ employee , it would have been uncover during these audit .
For more information on our approach to being a responsible partner , please register Page 22 and 23 of our CSR & Sustainability Report 2020/21 , which is availablehere .
Does the company have a net zero target in place?
Answer : We have an ambition to knead towards climate disinterest , but we have n’t determine a date for reach our Net Zero target . However , we understand and are deeply concerned about the mood emergency that we ’re all face . As a resultant , we ’ll deliver at unexampled ESG and Sustainability plan soon , which will include taking full obligation for our value chain climate impingement and striving to work towards a 1.5 ° C future , in line with scientific advice . In August , we ’ll kick off a Scope 3 inventory of our entire value Sir Ernst Boris Chain , so we can understand our total footprint and put in place a roadmap of emissions simplification activities .
presently in our functioning , we cultivate to reduce the CO2 emission by managing vim consumption and environmental shock in accordance with the principle of the ISO 14001 standard . We have two publicly posit annual targets related to carbon copy reduction in our surgery . These are :
What supply chain policies does the company have in place to avoid the sourcing of conflict minerals and guard against human rights violations?
solution : Bang & Olufsen believes that the desegregation of ethical , social and environmental position is prerequisite for running a sustainable line . We ’re committed to conducting our business in a responsible and transparent fashion , and we value internationally recognised principles for protecting the environment , ethical code , human and labour right , and anti - corruption . Our business processes and policy are align with the 10 principle of the UN Global Compact ; admit environmental trade protection and respecting the fundamental rightfield of all human beings .
We engage with our supply chain and partners to ensure sealed minimum standards according to the UN Global Compact and other relevant criterion and norms , as well as to drive uninterrupted improvements to ensure that all our suppliers control in compliance with the requirements . These requirements and dream are captivate in our Supplier Code of Conduct , which is available on our websitehere .
All suppliers are obliged to sign our Supplier Code of Conduct . Any suppliers assessed as being at a medium risk of deviation from the Code of Conduct requirements must take on a provider self - assessment audit , while those that are high risk of exposure supplier are capable to on - site audits at their applicable manufacture site at least every 2nd twelvemonth . The audited account is undertaken by an international third party , independent auditors according to rigorous ESG banner . Any non - compliances are remedied through an agreed upon corrective action programme , and expected to be closed within three calendar month of the programme being agreed . If not , this is reported to our compliancy committee for further brushup .
We have a zero - tolerance aspect of thralldom and human trafficking , and we expect the same from all our suppliers . Our instruction for Slavery and Human Trafficking in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 can be readhere .
Does the company disclose environmental data through the CDP platform?
Answer : We have n’t disclosed data to CDP previously ; however , we ’ll do this for the first time in the coming quarter , through the CDP Supply Chain Program .
Does the company have a 100% renewable energy sourcing commitment in place?
Answer : Bang & Olufsen is entrust to minimising the inauspicious impact on the environment from the company ’s own operations and its supply chemical chain , as well as being commit to incessantly reduce the footprint of the company ’s products over their integral lifecycle . imagination efficiency , usableness , and high timber as criterion have been an integral part of the company ’s daily operations for years , and Bang & Olufsen has been widely recognize from a functional , aesthetical , and technological linear perspective for the pattern and long - hold up characteristics of its product . It is the company ’s ambition to push the bounds even further by create more sustainable products while also improving the user experience .
While we do n’t have a publicly stated renewable energy sourcing commitment in place , we ’re investigating this for the next financial class ( from June 1 , 2022 ) and there is work on-going to support the green modulation .
This includes the late decision to to the full hold the use of instinctive gas in our operations . raw gas has been used solely to power the anodizing procedure at our fabrication site . In September 2022 , we ’ll move from natural gas index to electric boiler powered anodization . On top of this , 17 % of our fleet is already galvanizing and we ’re currently reviewing the fleet policy . While the followup is still in process , we expect that it will postulate that the whole fleet becomes electric by close of financial year 2024/2025 at the latest .
