GENELEC & SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING
With the publicity surrounding the recent COP 26 climate summit , we thought it was an appropriate moment to reflect on our responsibilities in making Genelec a truly sustainable brand .
Our focus on running a sustainable , environmentally responsible business began with our founder Ilpo Martikainen long before he launched the company in 1978 with Topi Partanen .
Ilpo had grown up on a farm in his native Finland , so was familiar with the annual cycle of seeding , fertilising , weeding and harvesting , and he saw first-hand how the country ’ s huge timber industry constantly replenished its forests to ensure that the business was sustainable . Additionally , that tree cover absorbs huge amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere , so maintaining it was not only sensible business but was also kind to the environment . Ilpo himself became actively involved in tree planting programs each year and his understanding of running a company in a holistic , sustainable way became embedded in his thinking .
BUILT TO LAST
For that reason , all Genelec loudspeaker products from the original S30 onwards are built to last , even in tough , demanding professional environments – and coupled with a commitment to long term technical and spare parts support , we are still able to service and repair loudspeakers after many decades of use .
Fast forwarding to 2008 , we entered a previously unwritten part of the company ’ s philosophy and heritage directly into our strategy , namely that “ environmental issues are just as important as sound quality and profitability .”
Since then , our efforts to follow this path have been unwavering . The heating of the Genelec factory transitioned from oil to renewable energy some years ago , and our most recent factory expansion in 2019 now brings solar energy to the mix courtesy of over 450 roof-mounted solar panels which will supply 30 % of our annual power . This decision to continue developing and manufacturing all our products under the same roof means that we can guarantee the use of environmentally efficient solutions , and this has helped us to view productivity from a new and far more healthy perspective .
RECYCLED MATERIALS
The use of recycled materials in our loudspeakers has also been a long term commitment . More than 80 % of our professional two-way loudspeaker products use recycled aluminium , saving 95 % of the energy required to produce the material compared with virgin aluminium , and after much research into the use of composites in injection moulding ,
we started a program in 2009 to develop loudspeaker enclosures which comprised of at least 50 % mouldable wood fibres – which are recyclable and do not require painting .
Genelec Managing Director Siamak Naghian explains that :
“ Though every action has its environmental footprint , so every action taken to improve sustainability and to reduce that footprint is a step towards reducing the impact of our industry on our environment . The conservation of natural resources does not stop with the use of recyclable natural materials , it continues throughout our efforts to create new innovations that will enrich the lives of our users . Genelec is committed to the pursuit of its ethical goals both now and in the future , when we believe that sustainability and profitability will go hand in hand .”
For more information on Genelec ’ s sustainability principles , visit www . genelec . com
The Score Magazine highonscore . com
7