How many headphones and earphones have you worn out in your life because of a wire break, broken earpiece or a lost ear pad that could not be reordered? Such a shame, because electronics in particular are extremely complicated to make. Can there be another way? Yes it can! Repeat offers circular and modular headphones for life. If a part breaks, you can simply replace it. That's sustainable!
Circular headphones from Repeat
In collaboration with Repeat Audio
It was there again. This time it was neither a wire break nor a missing part. No, my headphones that I love running, talking on the phone and listening to podcasts with during household chores just spontaneously broke completely in half. I made another attempt to fix it with Gaffa tape, but that wouldn't help. Against my better judgment, am I going to buy another set of headphones that will give up again within a few years? No, that didn't feel right. So I started looking for a more sustainable alternative. I ended up with the Circular headphones from Repeat. Doesn't it ring a bell immediately? They used to be called Gerrard Street. You might remember that.
At the urging of some followers on Instagram (they have a lot of fans), I contacted Repeat. They were eager to let me test one, so I could see (and more importantly hear) for myself that good and durable headphones can go together just fine too. Tech journalists and audiophiles are also raving about Repeat, so of course, as a rookie, I couldn't be left behind. I got no regrets! I am so happy to have finally found my life partner: top-quality durable headphones that can stay with me for the rest of my life. We have sworn eternal loyalty to each other!
A modular headphone from Repeat. If a part breaks, it can be replaced. Ideal!
The impact of headphones
I find it inconceivable in a time of resource scarcity and climate catastrophe that stuff breaks so easily while being so difficult to repair. Although the European Commission is working on a European right to repair by which products are more or less forced to make their products better and, above all, more circular, there is little sign of it now. Most manufacturers make products so that you buy them, use them and eventually throw them away. Our economy is a disposable economy and is set up so that we just keep buying more and more. It even seems to go so far that things are sometimes deliberately made bad or non-repairable so that we have no choice but to throw them away and buy a new one. This is not only super unfair to the consumer, it is simply unsellable in the times we live in today. Certainly electronics, which are made up of countless small rare parts, are the most hefty category of stuff to make.
The negative impact of stuff
The book The hidden impact by Babette Porcelijn has researched the impact top 10 of an average Dutch person. Not the usuals suspects like waste, energy and transport are at the top, but the consumption of stuff tops the impact top 10 of an average Dutchman. This is because the production of stuff is incredibly taxing and because we buy stuff too easily and throw it away. The book also looked at different types of stuff and it shows that electronics is the heaviest category, because it is often made of lots of small parts and special metals. And if anything is heavy on the planet, it is mining.
Source: The hidden impact, Babette Porcelijn
Headphones as an example of a circular economy
But fortunately, there is also good news: there are more and more entrepreneurs who are showing that things can also be done differently, more sustainably and more circularly. One of these pioneers are the men behind Repeat. Tom and Dorus also found it unbelievable and especially blood-irritating that electronics are unrepairable and difficult to take apart. Does it break? Then it gets incinerated, while that broken device is full of precious parts that can still be recycled just fine. Headphones in particular were a big frustration as the gentlemen themselves have a great love for music (making).
So after studying Industrial Design at TU Delft, they decided they wanted to change that. And that became the start of their durable and modular headphones that could be a blueprint for many more electronic utensils.
How many times have you thrown away an appliance because something small was beyond repair?
Every year, we throw away over 50 billion kilos of electrical appliances. And because we buy more and more devices, which we use for a few years at most. This makes e-waste the fastest growing waste stream. By 2050, 120 billion kilos will end up in the waste every year. A huge mountain of waste, full of useful components and valuable materials like gold and silver.
Source: repeat.audio
Repeat gives you headphones for life, but how does it work?
The key to a more sustainable world all lies with ‘smart design’. Repeat's headphones are made so that when individual parts break, they can be replaced independently. As a result, you never have to throw away the entire headphones if just one small part is broken.
At Repeat, you can choose from three types of headphones. The simplest one called Day is one with a wire, the two more luxurious ones are called Boss and Prince. These are wireless and have extra features like Bluetooth and the option to make phone calls. The flagship named Prince has ton notch sound quality too noise cancelling. There is a choice for every type of audio user and every wallet. Headphones Day will cost you 119 euros or 9.99 euros a month, Boss costs 179 euros or 12.50 euros a month and a Prince for life you have for 269 euros or 17.50 euros a month.
But there is more, and that is precisely what makes Repeat unique. You can buy the headphones, but you can also opt for a subscription. Again, you have three options:
- With a monthly subscription, you have the flexibility to change or return headphones whenever you want. You only pay for as long as you use them and have free repairs as long as you have the headphones. If you get tired of them or want a different model, you can cancel or change the membership each month. You're not stuck with anything.
- You can also buy Repeat headphones with a subscription to Unlimited Repairs. You can subscribe to Unlimited Repairs per year, or you can buy Unlimited Repairs Forever all at once. I have the latter option.
- Finally, you can also just buy the headphones without the Unlimited Repairs, too. In that case, you can also join the circular community by ordering your parts separately from Repeat should you ever need to. So what are you talking about? A new sound box costs between 35 and 99 euros (depending on the type), replacing an ear cushion costs 20 euros a headband or button a tenner and a cable costs 12.50 euros. Repeat always pays the shipping and return costs, but you always have to return broken parts. That's part of the deal...
My new durable headphones and me
And how do you like it? I can be brief about that: Prince lives up to its name. It really is a top headphone. The quality is perfect, it looks nice ánd it sits comfortably on my head (not unimportant!). I can do everything with it that I could with my old disposable. Only with a better feeling. Well, durability is also in the back of my mind... If a part does break, I don't have to throw away the whole device. I only have to replace the part and, in the best case scenario, the guys at Repeat can still do something with the broken part, because of course I send it back. In short, a headphone with a good story. I see my Prince as a sustainable statement.
Furthermore, the headphones also immediately gave me a login to Repeat's virtual environment. Here I can order parts and request repairs.
Would you also like to make a statement with modular headphones from Repeat
Given my history with headphones, I estimate the chances are high that you too will have to deal with headphones or earbuds that fail in the foreseeable future. Do you also want durable headphones for life and make a strong statement? Then check out Repeat's website. Through this link, you will get 10% discount on your first order.
I am curious to know who you promise eternal fidelity to! Will it be Day, Boss or Prince? Repeat and I would love it if you share your choice with us. Make a fun story and tag us on Instagram: @repeat.audio and @thegreenlist.nl.
More sustainable tips from thegreenlist.nl
- Also see: Those sustainable girls: the lifestyle podcast the world is waiting for.
- Also see: Saving energy with help from EnergyFlip.
- Also see: what do you do with an empty ink cartridge?
- Also see: the impact of your smartphone.
Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
