IT Brief New Zealand - Technology news for CIOs & IT decision-makers
Story image
Audio company Jabra takes steps toward 100% sustainable packaging across entire product range
Tue, 6th Jul 2021
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Audio device company Jabra has taken the first steps toward 100% sustainable packaging across its complete product range.

Jabra has announced it's created 100% recyclable packaging for its latest earbuds, the Elite 85t, half a year after the launch of the product. The Evolve2 headset range also has new eco-friendly packaging that combines a pouch and a paper bag.

The company says the improved packaging for these two products is one of its steps towards achieving 100% sustainable packaging across all of its product ranges.

Jabra has also committed to several UN sustainability goals and reduced plastic waste and transportation emissions. The new Elite 85t packaging is 38% smaller than its predecessor, the Elite 75t, and 27% smaller than the Elite 65t packaging. The packaging for the latest earbuds has 85% less plastic and is fully recyclable, sustainable, and FSC Certified.

The newest member of the Evolve2 range, the Jabra Evolve2 30 headset, is sold in a soft pouch and within a slim paper bag.

“The slimmer bag, while being sturdy enough to protect the headset in the shipping process, takes up much less space, which means that more bags fit in a carton, shipping less air,” says Jabra.

Jabra says it has also made steps in making its packaging lighter, with its hero product, the Elite 85t eCommerce pack, now 49% lighter than the Elite 75t packaging. It says this results in less waste and allows more products to be transported simultaneously, reducing carbon emissions.

“At Jabra, we all share a passion for sustainability and are committed to reducing the ecological footprint of our products by developing smarter products and packaging,” says Jabra ANZ managing director, David Piggott.

“Seeing our goals come to life with these new packages as a result of our collaboration with other teams across the board is an excellent milestone in Jabras continuous journey to a more sustainable future.

“Jabra uses its existing business processes to drive sustainability as a business priority,” he says.

In the 2020 Sustainability ESG Report (released February 2021), Jabra's parent GN Group outlined key areas where the company is setting new goals to impact the next few years: climate change, sustainable products/packaging, and health.

By 2025, the group says it aims to:        

Be climate neutral in its company activities while also reducing its indirect emissions.

Use at least 50% sustainable material in new products, have truly sustainable packaging across GN, launch take-back schemes for all relevant products and regions, and repair or refurbish more products per year.

Jabra has product take-back schemes in several regions known as Jabras Green Initiative. Through this scheme, people who want to trade in their existing Elite product for a newer model receive a discount when they send their old product back to Jabra. Jabra then recycles the device under the European WEEE Directive.