Concerts, Theaters, Meetings and Live Events Now Go Greener With Shure Rechargeable Equipment

NILES, Ill., April 21, 2022 — This year’s Earth Day theme is “Invest in Our Planet” and Shure is outlining ways it has invested in the planet through environmental responsibility initiatives.

“Green is not only in our logo, it’s an important part of who we are as a Company,” said Avi Vaidya, Executive Vice President of Product Development and Chief Technology Officer at Shure. “Our innovation in the audio industry has resulted in millions of batteries saved from landfills and we continue to make our products and offerings greener for our customers, who are more interested than ever about ways to be environmentally responsible.”

Some of Shure’s areas of focus around sustainability include:

Batteries

One of the most impactful things Shure has done for the environment is reducing the amount of batteries disposed of and placed into landfills around the world. Concerts, theater performances, meetings, and live events have gone much greener lately due to a variety of Shure products that are now rechargeable.

In the past five years, Shure estimates that it has eliminated more than 20 million batteries from being used. By 2027, Shure expects its products to prevent 100 million more batteries from going to landfills as more customers convert to rechargeable Shure products.

Shure rechargeable packs and mics have changed the way concerts, theaters, meetings, and other live event venues operate. In the past, disposable batteries were used to power microphones and transmitter packs during rehearsals, then replaced with a fresh set of batteries before the performance, and replaced afterward. This led to a significant disposal of batteries.

With Shure’s rechargeable wireless audio technology – the first company to offer intelligent lithium-ion batteries for wireless microphones when it was launched nearly a decade ago – it has instantly transformed sound production into a much more environmentally friendly operation.

In fact, for David Byrne’s “America Utopia” alone, the monitor engineer estimated they saved 21,000 AA batteries from being disposed of in landfills because they used Shure’s rechargeable system.

Other Product Initiatives

Shure works with suppliers who take action on sustainability, including suppliers who use solar power and recycled water in their operations. The Company is also working to approve water-based paints in the finishing process, which is friendlier for the environment.

Shure products are also engineered to last – from a durability and adaptive technology standpoint – avoiding costly replacements and unnecessary disposal of electronics, even as technology evolves.

The Company has also engineered its products to help with overall power consumption, using less energy in “down” modes and allowing remote monitoring of power use with Wireless Workbench Software.

Packaging

Shure has joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition as it improves product packaging to be more sustainable. With more than 1,500 different packaging pieces for a variety of different products, this is a significant undertaking. Some of the highlights include:

• Replacing thermoform trays with more sustainable, recyclable alternatives such as molded pulp.
• Reducing overall plastic materials in packaging.
• Reducing the amount of literature that accompanies our products.
• Right-sizing packaging for greater efficiency and reduced CO2 footprint from shipping and storage.

Facilities

Shure manufacturing plants feature robust recycling programs for cardboard boxes and wooden pallets, keeping literally “tons” of cardboard waste and nearly 5,000 wooden pallets out of landfills.

Across Shure facilities, energy savings programs with LED lighting, motion-sensor lighting, smart climate control systems, and other initiatives help reduce the Company’s overall carbon footprint.

People/Partners

Shure supports a number of global and locally-based organizations dedicated to sustainability efforts and ecology, including the National Resources Defense Council, whose global purpose is to “safeguard the earth — its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.” Their stated areas of work include: “climate change, communities, energy, food, health, oceans, water, the wild.”

In addition to those efforts, our Associates around the world have volunteered for environmental clean-up efforts in parks and rivers in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Compliance

A cross-functional Shure team regularly reviews international regulations, directives, and standards to ensure environmental compliance with regulations like RoHS, REACH, and WEEE. The nature of these regulations promotes sustainable electronics and electronics manufacturing.

For more information about Shure’s sustainability efforts, visit Shure’s Sustainability Site, which includes an overview on the Company’s approach to environmental responsibility through people, products, facilities, communities, and partners.