Bang & Olufsen x Sustainability
Future Innovators
We use our core capabilities within sound to help improve people’s quality of life, and we are committed to support future innovators through knowledge sharing, based on our core capabilities within sound.
Future Innovators
We are committed to support future innovators through extensive knowledge sharing, based on our core capabilities within sound, design and craftmanship, and we have a long history of working with institutions and partners to help nurture and develop young talents.
Science Day
Girls Day in Science is a nationwide (DK) campaign that aims to create awareness about the lack of girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) – an international designation for educations and careers within the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In October 2021, we participated for the first time, where 18 senior High School girls visited us in Struer and met some of our female employees, who shared their personal stories and gave them an introduction to some of the career paths in B&O In October 2023, building on our participation in recent years in the ‘Girls Day in Science’ event, we hosted local high school groups as part of the renamed ‘Science Day’. This event gives young people the chance to see what science careers look like inside industrial and manufacturing companies. The goal is to encourage more young people to choose to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Innovation camp
Since 2008, we have hosted an Innovation Summer Camp in partnership with local universities. These camps target engineering and acoustics students at university level. In collaboration with Struer Municipality, Sound Hub Denmark, other local companies and prestigious Danish Universities, the camp will provide 36 students from six universities with three-weeks of ECTS credited education on-site at our headquarters in Struer. The assignment had a sustainability and longevity focus and gave the students access to knowledge and tools for understanding and assessing product environmental impacts. The overall assignment for the students was to develop an innovative, long-lasting audio product incorporating a life-cycle assessment. At the same time, the camp was our first experience testing an ambition to establish a residential college in Struer. The purpose is to ensure continued interactions with study programmes of key importance to drive research and recruitment and to further develop our capabilities to remain at the forefront of the audio industry and circularity educations to future generations in Denmark and globally.
Sound and Health
We use our core capabilities within sound to help improve the quality of life for people by contributing to research and helping to create awareness of the positive effect sound can have in health-related areas.
Caring Through Music
Research shows that music is stored in a part of the brain not effected by the same degree of memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Together with CaringKind, a New York based association who support individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia, we developed the short film ‘Caring Through Music’. ‘Caring through Music’ explores and documents the power of music and how relatives and caregivers use music as a tool to reconnect and spark memories of the past for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. To enhance CaringKinds onsite training programs for family members and professional caregivers we donated audio equipment, including headsets and speakers. “We believe the film, along with audio equipment donated by B&O for our programs in New York City, will allow us to further our mission of providing support to anyone whose life is touched by Alzheimer’s or dementia.” - Lou-Ellen Barkan, President and CEO of CaringKind
Isobel
Unwanted sound has significant negative impacts on human health, causing stress, heart disease, and lower productivity. Conversely, desired sounds like music or nature can relieve stress and enhance well-being. To harness these benefits, we have partnered with Sound Focus, Wavecare, and Aalborg University on the ISOBEL project, a DKK 30 million initiative funded by the Danish Innovation Fund. ISOBEL aims to create personal sound zones, initially in hospitals and homes, providing personalised and immersive audio experiences that reduce unwanted noise and its adverse effects. This innovative system improves environments by focusing sound in specific areas, allowing for intimate and private listening without external interference. Unlike noise-cancelling headphones, the ISOBEL system enables users to stay connected with their surroundings while enjoying their preferred sounds. In the future, this technology could be expanded to public spaces, revolutionising how we experience sound and significantly enhancing our quality of life.
Want to know more
Read more about our role in society in our Sustainability report 2023/24