Skullcandy launches sustainable Ecobuds with battery-free case

Skullcandy announced its latest product today: Ecobuds, a set of earbuds designed with carbon footprint reduction in mind.

The company claims the Ecobuds are its most sustainable product yet, made with 65% recycled plastics and 57% fewer heavy metals. Notably, one of the ways it achieves this more sustainable design is by eliminating the in-case battery. The Ecobuds are currently available globally for $39.99 MSRP.

The Ecobuds, says Skullcandy, have a 50% lower carbon footprint than comparable products — a 1.35kg CO2eq total carbon footprint. In lieu of a lithium battery in the case, the earbuds charge from the user’s phone via a built-in USB-C charging cable and hold a charge of up to 8 hours. The case is also open, with the earbuds held in by magnets, which the company says further reduces plastic use.

Justin Regan, Skullcandy’s marketing VP, said in a statement, “In the fiercely competitive true wireless audio market, consumer concerns about battery life have sparked a battle among manufacturers to increase battery capacity. Our research shows this has led to the production of larger batteries than necessary, surpassing actual consumer needs. Unfortunately, this trend of over manufacturing batteries is detrimental to the environment. EcoBuds are a direct challenge to battery-anxiety assumptions, offering all-day battery life without wasteful overproduction and no compromise on sound quality.”