Respect for the Environment

Long design lifecycles, support for the circular economy and close monitoring of our environmental impact. These are just some of the ways that we're protecting our environment.


Long Lasting Designs

Our commitment to building loudspeakers that last for decades owes much to the Finnish national broadcaster YLE, who back in 1976 were searching for an active monitoring loudspeaker for their new radio house.


YLE needed a loudspeaker with total reliability, easy serviceability, and a long lifecycle, and so our very first model, the S30, was created for YLE with these qualities factored in from the outset.

This set the benchmark for every Genelec design that followed - each one built to last, with bulletproof reliability and total commitment to spare part support.

That philosophy continues today, and our service team are still supporting loudspeakers that are over 40 years old, so that they continue to perform beautifully and bring joy to their owners.
Ilpo Martikainen and the S30.

All our models come with a 2 year parts-and-labour warranty, with a further 3 year spare part warranty to those that register them online with us. And in sharp contrast to what has become an increasingly throwaway world, our commitment to providing spare parts continues many years after a model has been discontinued.

Circular Economy

We first started using aluminium loudspeaker enclosures back in 1996 with our 1029A model, and nowadays the vast majority of our loudspeaker enclosures are made from this incredibly versatile material. However, the die-cast recycled aluminium that we use is created from scrap metal, and is around 95% more efficient to produce than the production of primary aluminium, thereby saving significant amounts of energy.

Proportion of Recycled Aluminium Used in Our Designs (%)

We've been using aluminium in our designs since 1996, and we now favour recycled aluminium - which is much less energy intensive to produce. In 2020, 97% of all the aluminium we used was recycled.


We also strive to prevent and minimise the creation of waste, but if any is generated, it’ll be re-used or used for secondary purposes such as energy production. The least desirable option is to produce non-recyclable waste, and this is something that we try and avoid if at all possible. This graph shows the percentage of waste that we recycle annually.

Annual Waste Recycling (%)

In 2021 we recycled 60% of all waste, and we've set a waste recycling target of 65% for 2022.


This rise of the circular economy means that we’ve also developed some new business models, including the Genelec Certified Pre-Owned™ initiative. Our Certified Pre-Owned loudspeakers have been tested and approved by our service experts, and are supported by a 2 year parts-and-labour warranty. The selection of loudspeakers comprises everything from current models to the occasional vintage gem, each of them delivering the same level of performance as when they were new.

Measuring Our Impact

To better understand our overall environmental impact, we began to monitor our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020 according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which provides a standardised way of calculating and measuring these emissions.

The protocol divides emissions into three ‘Scopes’, where Scope 1 includes direct emissions from our company facilities and vehicles, Scope 2 covers indirect upstream activities such as energy purchases, while Scope 3 focuses on indirect activities both upstream and downstream, including areas such as business travel, transportation of goods and much more.

Scope 2 Emissions from Purchased Energy (Genelec Oy, Finland)

(Data in years / tCO2e)


The emissions are measured in tonnes, and CO2e represents the 'carbon dioxide equivalent'. This is the standard unit used to compare and account for emissions from various GHGs, based on their global warming potential.

To identify the areas that offer the greatest potential for improvement, all three Scopes must be carefully evaluated, and this complex but vitally important work is ongoing. The original schedule for publishing the scope 1 emissions was 2022. The initial publishing timeframe has changed to 2023, as we felt it was necessary to include a 3rd party to verify our calculations.

Read More About

Great audio that’s good for the planet

Jouni Puhakka shares the story of his 35-year-old Genelec 1022s

Age Distribution (Oy and subsidiaries)

(Data in years / percentage.)


Women working in Genelec (Gender distribution)



Duration of Employment (Oy and subsidiaries)

(Data in years / percentage.)


Countries of Genelec Employees


Countries of Genelec Suppliers


Countries of Suppliers


Usage % of recycled aluminium per all aluminium used


Traffic

  • Hourly
  • Daily
  • Weekly
  • Monthly

Traffic

Greenhouse gas calculations (Genelec Oy, Finland)

(Data in years / tCO2e)