The circular speaker

In 2019 more than 50 million tonnes of electronics were thrown away, which corresponds to around 7 kilos per person in the world. Transparent’s ambition is to change that by becoming the first brand in consumer electronics that is completely circular.

Increased consumption, shorter product lives and too few opportunities to repair and upgrade technological gadgets are behind the increase in electronic waste, according to a UN report from 2020. The technology brand Transparent wants to be involved in turning this around by designing timeless, modular electronics that can be upgraded again and again. Brave New Business had a chat with Martin Willers, one of the founders of Transparent.

Hello Martin, how did you come up with the idea for Transparent?

“About 10 years ago my co-founder Per worked with speakers for another large electronics brand. We knew even then that the industry was very linear and quickly generated large piles of electronic scrap. Our idea was to build a product that would last a lifetime by boiling it down to the essential components so that they could be fixed when needed. We wanted the product to be easy to understand and for the company behind it to work in an open manner. Furthermore, when the product itself became transparent, the word Transparent came to summarise the entire purpose of the company.”

Per Brickstrand and Martin Willers are the founders of Transparent. Photographer: Idha Lindhag

How did you successfully manage to start a new business?

“We wrote a blog post about the Transparent Speaker which went live on 11 November 2011. In the post we explained the sustainable design philosophy and came up with a solution to the war that is being waged in living rooms all over the world – the endless battle between home electronics and interior design. The post went viral and people asked us to put it on Kickstarter, a platform for grass roots financing. This resulted in a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2013 and the rest is history.”

Rumour has it that one of your speakers features in a music video for will.i.am (member of the group Black Eyed Peas) and Britney Spears, is that right?

“Haha, yes that’s right. Before we mass produced the first speaker, we were copied in the music video Scream & Shout by will.i.am, ft. Britney Spears. It was a clip lasting a few seconds where they had made a 3D model of the speaker which they blow to pieces. We mostly thought it was cool and caught up with will.i.am after a presentation at a technology show in Las Vegas to ask if he wanted to expand the collaboration. He became a little sweaty, maybe he was scared of getting sued, and unfortunately it ended with them removing our scene from the video. However, it already had several hundred million plays on YouTube!”

Transparent designs timeless, modular electronics that can be upgraded again and again. Photographer: Idha Lindhag

Can you tell us a little about the connection to MakerSquare?

“We are actively looking for new subcontractors in Europe to have a shorter distance to close the loop on the material flows we put on the market. MakerSquare fulfils an important function by imposing requirements and acting as broker for talented Swedish subcontractors.”

What’s the next step?

“When we launch Light Speaker, we’ll be the first with a system for tracking product levels. Using a QR code on the product that you scan with your mobile, you can view all data about the product and how to repair it, for example. This kind of “product passport” is something the EU is pushing hard for right now, so it’s great to be a good example for future developments.”

What do you think is the secret to success?

“As a business leader: imagination, ability and hard work. As a business: understanding people first.”

What tip would you give 15-year-old Martin?

“Design websites with simple payment systems instead of ones that are flashy and look good.” Brave New Business