The most sustainable bluetooth speaker currently on the market – a promise and a message that Brighton-based brand gomi aspires to communicate.
The technology industry, much like most industries, presents high concern in terms of resources, energy use, carbon footprint, and of course, e-waste. With obsolete products often discarded after minimal use, the imperative for eco-friendly solutions has never been clearer. You might ask, how does gomi respond to this large-scale problem and what sets it apart from other sustainable brands? Read on and get to know how they turn waste into wonder.
What To Know About ‘gomi’
Gomi ごみ (sometimes written ゴミ) is the Japanese word for garbage, fitting for the small, sustainable design studio based in Brighton Lanes, UK. Their team of designers and sound technicians work side-by-side to create designer speakers by hand.
It was co-founded by sustainable designer and maker Tom Meades, Rishi Gupta and their team in 2017. Since then, they’ve achieved great milestones and made an enormous impact on the tech world.
Additionally, they are the world’s first brand to repurpose lithium-ion batteries from e-bikes, combining them with plastic bag waste, deemed ‘non-recyclable’, and turning them into design-led consumer electronics products.
Apart from speakers and power banks, the studio crafts personalized unique display pieces also made from UK recycled plastics, hand marbled and pressed by their team.
Therefore for enthusiasts of distinctive artwork like the gomi speakers, our feature on “The Four Japanese Female Artists Revolutionizing Fluxus Art” is a must-read.
Their Sustainable Philosophy
Materials
Furthermore the gomi power bank embodies their vision for a circular future that is waste-free, turning the most difficult to recycle materials into desirable and repairable products that last.
“Taking healthy batteries from damaged e-bikes and giving them a fresh start.”
(Image Credit: gomi.design)
To say nothing of at gomi, flexible plastics are recycled, turning them into a raw material which is aesthetically unique. Basically the plastics are individually sliced, melted, and shaped into the exterior body of the speakers and power banks.
The studio takes perfectly healthy lithium batteries from damaged e-bikes and gives them a fresh start. Therefore by doing this, they intercept batteries that might have ended up in landfill, and prevent the need for creating new ones in the process. How do they use the power for the speakers?
First, retired battery packs are sourced from e-bike manufacturers and harvest the lithium cells. The battery cells within these are healthy, but the cost of repairing the damaged packs makes it cheaper for these companies to buy new ones. The cells are then tested in the studio on the diagnostic rack to check if they’re in perfect working order.
Finally, the cells are combined to create the battery packs which power the gomi speakers for an impressive 30+ hours of play-time at normal listening volumes.
The process goes the same with their handy powerbanks with a modular and durable design.
Design
Each power bank is made with waste plastic bags and have been hand marbled and pressed into the unique designs found on each one’s outer shell. No two power banks will ever have the same exact pattern, and each has their own unique edition number engraved on the aluminium back plate.
‘gomi for life’
Both their power banks and portable speakers come with a ‘gomi for life’ promise, meaning that they commit to repairing every product, thanks to its modular design. gomi wants to prove that there is a new waste-free way to manufacture our favourite Eco-friendly tech products, without sacrificing on quality or performance.
“We’ll fix anything within our 2 year warranty for free. Standard repairs outside the warranty period never cost more than £20 for Power Banks and £50 for Speakers for customers in the UK, which includes postage, the price of the new parts and the labour to repair your speaker.”
Partnerships
gomi has made innovative collaborations with designers, engineers and thought-provoking brands for Eco-friendly tech products. Therefore all partnerships stem from one aim, to reduce our collective impact on the planet, and create something meaningful. For example take a look at these wonderful creations from some of their collaborations!
BIFA (British Independent Film Awards)
Image Credit: gomi.design
BIFA 2023 were looking for a trophy befitting the forward-thinking nature of British independent film. Moreover gomi joined forces with the sculptural artist Arran Gregory to create a trophy made from 1kg of waste plastic, hand-marbled and finished in the Brighton studio.
Paul Smith
Moreover gomi teamed up with Paul Smith, English fashion designer, to create a range of custom colourway MagSafe chargers using 100% recycled plastics in their iconic colours.
gomi x Story mfg.
(Image Credit: Story mfg.)
In another case this collaboration produced the “Gingham” portable speaker. Not to mention Story Mfg is a fashion brand committed to sustainable design from their use in organic materials to the natural dyes to colour their fabrics. The limited edition speaker design, inspired by their signature Gingham patterns. Moreover, you can get it exclusively at storymfg.com.
Shop Their Products
Speakers
You can choose from a variety of designs released in ther ‘Collection One’:
Meanwhile, you can have your speaker customized with your own branding too! Just reach out to them at their page.
Power Banks
Charging in style? gomi has something in store for you! Explore these aesthetic power banks and you might find one to your liking: gomi power banks.
With all that, are you finally ready to ‘BRING A LITTLE SOUND AND COLOUR INTO YOUR HOME’?
Shop their products by visiting their website at: gomi.design
Connect to their socials, and they’d be more than happy to get you involved in their sustainability mission! Therefore do follow them to get the latest news on limited collections of Eco-friendly tech products:
Instagram: gomidesign
Facebook: facebook.com/gomidesign
Youtube: @gomidesign
