Responsibility
Sustainability
Sustainability at Bang & Olufsen
Our ambition is to lead and inspire a movement towards a circular, regenerative future by creating Luxury Timeless Technology products and experiences, from the first client to the last. Our sustainability work centres around our ambition and working on improvements across our most impactful themes as identified as part of our double materiality assessment. We are committed to transparency, innovation, and measurable impact, guided by global frameworks that hold us accountable. That’s why we report on our sustainability efforts as part of our Annual Reporting. Discover more about our key initiatives in the following.
Climate action
Bang & Olufsen is committed to reducing its climate impact across operations, products, and the wider value chain in support of the transition to a low-carbon future. We have set science-based reduction targets, put in place governance to drive progress, and manage our energy consumption, efficiency, and sourcing in line with international commitments such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and the World Economic Forum’s First Movers Coalition.
In our own operations, we have phased out natural gas from anodizing processes and, since 2023/24, run entirely on renewable electricity. Beyond our direct footprint, we work closely with suppliers to decarbonise their activities and to increase the use of lower-impact energy sources across the supply chain. Sustainability considerations are also embedded early in product development to help reduce both embedded carbon and use-phase emissions.
Science Based Targets initiative
Our climate targets are validated by the Science Based Targets initiative and aligned with the 1.5°C pathway of the Paris Agreement. We are committed to:
- Reducing operational emissions (Scope 1 & 2) by 90% by 2028/29
- Cutting value chain emissions (Scope 3) by 37.8% by 2029/30
- Reaching net-zero emissions across our value chain by 2039/40
First Movers Coalition (FMC)
Aluminium is one of our most iconic materials, and one of the most carbon-intensive to produce. That’s why we’ve taken bold steps to decarbonise our aluminium supply chain through our membership in the World Economic Forum’s First Movers Coalition (FMC). As part of this commitment:
- By ensuring that at least 50% of the aluminium we use by 2030 will be recycled
- An additional 10% sourced from low-carbon production technologies
In 2023/24, 17% of our aluminium was already low-carbon, helping us avoid over 1,000 tonnes of CO₂e. This initiative is a key lever in reducing upstream emissions and transforming the way we source materials—ensuring that our products are not only beautiful and durable, but also responsibly made. Read more here.
Our Commitment to the UN Global Compact
Bang & Olufsen is a proud signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, reaffirming our commitment to responsible business conduct across our global operations. As part of this we continue to align our strategies and practices with the Compact’s Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption. Our Corporate Responsibility team, in collaboration with the Global Leadership Team and Board of Directors, ensures that these principles are embedded in our decision-making processes and risk management frameworks.
Read more about our global practices on our Policies and Charters site.
Longevity
We design products to last, not just physically, but emotionally. Our modular architecture, software updates, and repairability standards ensure that our products evolve with time and remain relevant for years to come.
Longevity is a cornerstone of our approach to enabling a circular future, complemented by modularity, which allows products to be easily upgraded, repaired, and reused. Through our key activities, such as certifications from the Cradle to Cradle Certified® products programme and Recreated Classics programme, we want to challenge the notion that luxury products have an expiration date.
Read more in our Circularity page.
Life cycle assessments
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a scientific method used to evaluate the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life — from raw material extraction to manufacturing, use, and end-of-life. LCAs help us make more informed design decisions, improve product sustainability, and enhance the accuracy of our emissions reporting. In the future we wish to share more data from our LCAs with our clients.
Double Materiality Assessment
Our double materiality assessment ensures that we focus on where we have most impact. It identifies the most significant environmental and social impacts (impact materiality) and the financial risks and opportunities (financial materiality) across the value chain. We focus on: Climate, Pollution, Resource Use and Circular Economy, Own Workforce, Consumers and End-users, and Business Conduct.
Read more about our focus in our Annual Report.
Contact
Nicolai Ellehuus Global Director of Corporate Responsibility sustainability@bang-olufsen.dk