OWA Speaker: Revolutionizing Audio with Sustainable 3D Printing and Circular Economy Principles

In a significant stride towards a more sustainable future, the OWA Speaker has officially launched its highly anticipated Kickstarter campaign, inviting enthusiasts and eco-conscious consumers alike to pre-order their innovative 3D printed speaker. This groundbreaking product is the culmination of a powerful collaborative effort involving five distinct companies, prominently featuring Armor 3D, a leading producer of recycled 3D filament. Armor 3D’s crucial role in this partnership was to supply the high-quality, recycled filament essential for the speaker’s additive manufacturing process. This initiative perfectly aligns with Armor 3D’s core philosophy of developing environmentally responsible products rooted deeply in the principles of the circular economy. Their commitment is evident in their creation of both recycled and recyclable filaments, a mission supported by a dedicated team of over ten professionals across R&D, marketing, sales, and communication departments. We recently had the distinct pleasure of conversing with Pierre-Antoine Pluvinage, Development Director at Armor 3D, and Clervie Casters, the Head of the OWA Speaker project, to gain deeper insights into this remarkable 3D printed Bluetooth speaker and its profound implications for sustainable technology.

You can become an early adopter of this pioneering technology by pre-ordering your very own OWA Speaker for €149 today through their Kickstarter campaign here.

3DN: How was the OWA speaker created and who was behind it?

Pierre-Antoine: The OWA Speaker was born from Armor Group’s fervent desire to create a tangible and impactful application using our OWA 3D filaments. OWA, as many know, stands as the Armor Group’s flagship brand dedicated to the circular economy. Our unwavering commitment lies in bringing environmentally responsible and truly recyclable products to the market. The genesis of this specific project can be traced back to our significant collaboration with Leroy Merlin Techshop in 2016. This partnership proved instrumental in fostering dynamic synergies with diverse experts, including visionary designers from BOLD, skilled 3D printing specialists from Dood, and innovative electronics engineers from Sector. From these rich exchanges and shared expertise, the exciting idea of creating a customisable, 3D printed speaker, meticulously crafted using our OWA recycled and recyclable filaments, began to take concrete shape. This collaborative ecosystem allowed us to pool resources and knowledge, transforming an ambitious concept into a viable and market-ready product that truly embodies our values.

3DN: What are the specificities of this product?

Clervie: The OWA Speaker is far more than just another Bluetooth speaker; it’s a meticulously engineered solution packed with numerous additional features designed to enhance daily life. Fundamentally, it stands as an environmentally responsible and inherently sustainable product, proudly “Made in France.” Its design is both neat and highly customisable, allowing users to personalize their audio experience. Beyond delivering exceptional sound, the OWA Speaker integrates smart functionalities such as a connected light, a fully functional alarm clock, and a precise time keeper. These thoughtful additions transform the OWA Speaker into a comprehensive solution, perfectly tailored to meet the evolving needs of both individual consumers and professional businesses. Its innovative design truly sets a new benchmark in the realms of sound technology and 3D printing. Every aspect of its construction has been conceived to ensure it is easily removable and repairable, a core tenet directly derived from our deep commitment to circular economy principles. This commitment means fostering product longevity and reducing waste, making the OWA Speaker a truly forward-thinking device.

3DN: What are the values ​​carried by the project?

Pierre-Antoine: This entire project is a powerful testament to the synergy achieved through the complementarity between diverse sectors: traditional industry, creative design, and cutting-edge electronics. It is deeply imbued with collaborative values, reflecting the shared vision of all partners involved. More profoundly, this project is driven by our overarching mission to fundamentally change the way we consume products. We firmly believe that the prevailing model of purchasing items with deliberately limited lifespans is no longer viable in our current global climate. Our primary goal is to actively combat planned obsolescence, a wasteful practice that has plagued the consumer electronics industry for too long. We are committed to finding and implementing alternative solutions to the pervasive reliance on fossil fuels, particularly through diligent waste recycling and innovative material sourcing. Consequently, we have engineered a speaker enclosure that is not only robust and repairable but also crafted from recycled materials—specifically, a significant portion of its structure comes from discarded yogurt pots. Furthermore, the product is entirely recyclable, supported by an efficient collection system that ensures its materials can be re-integrated into the production cycle, closing the loop on its environmental impact.

3DN: Why did you choose to launch a crowdfunding campaign?

Clervie: Our decision to launch a crowdfunding campaign was a strategic one, driven by several key objectives beyond simply securing initial funding. Firstly, we aim to significantly raise public awareness about the immense potential and versatility of 3D printing technology, particularly highlighting the critical importance of using high-quality, sustainable filaments. This aligns perfectly with our overarching goal to maximize the reuse of resources through efficient recycling processes. We aspire to introduce this innovative approach to a broader community and the general public, demonstrating that it is possible to own a responsible, sustainable, and highly customisable high-tech speaker that also offers a suite of additional, convenient features. Crowdfunding provides us with an invaluable platform to engage directly with early adopters, gather immediate feedback, and build a vibrant community around the OWA Speaker. It allows us to communicate our vision transparently and invite individuals to be a part of a movement that prioritizes both technological advancement and environmental stewardship. This direct connection helps us validate our product, refine our message, and ensure that we are truly meeting consumer needs while staying true to our core values of sustainability and innovation.

3DN: How does 3D printing fit into the project and why did you choose it?

Pierre-Antoine: 3D printing offers a myriad of compelling advantages that are intrinsically linked to the success and ethos of our project. Beyond our aspiration to democratise this technology and introduce its capabilities to the general public, it allowed us to showcase the exceptional quality of our OWA PS filaments. Crucially, 3D printing enables us to craft a truly durable object using materials that are both recycled and inherently recyclable. This manufacturing method offers unparalleled flexibility, significantly reducing the logistical distances between our production sites and the end customer. By facilitating the local printing of the speaker enclosures, we not only minimize our carbon footprint but also proudly guarantee manufacturing within France, supporting local economies and ensuring high ethical production standards. The ability to produce on demand and closer to the consumer represents a paradigm shift from traditional, centralized manufacturing models. Another significant, perhaps even revolutionary, advantage is the unparalleled capacity for easy and rapid customisation of the product. Unlike conventional injection molding, 3D printing allows us to offer bespoke designs and modifications without incurring prohibitive tooling costs or lengthy lead times, making each OWA Speaker uniquely adaptable to individual preferences and evolving market demands. This flexibility is key to battling obsolescence by allowing for upgrades and personalization, further extending the product’s lifespan.

3DN: How do you see this project evolve in a year? in 5 years?

Pierre-Antoine: The journey of development for the OWA Speaker is far from over; it is a continuous evolution on our side! The immediate next year is strategically dedicated to the meticulous production of our initial series of speakers, albeit in limited numbers, ensuring quality and refining our processes. Simultaneously, we are heavily invested in the creation of a sophisticated accompanying application that will unlock even more functionalities and user control. We are also actively engaged in the reflection and development of exciting new designs, aiming to expand our aesthetic offerings. The prospective addition of a hands-free kit feature and an advanced time keeper is poised to allow us to meet the specific and growing needs of professionals in the realm of connected objects, opening up new market segments. Looking five years down the line, our vision is ambitious yet entirely attainable: we can realistically hope to see OWA Speakers become a staple in modern meeting rooms and potentially integrated into every forward-thinking company. This expansion would firmly establish the OWA Speaker not just as a consumer product but as a valuable business tool.

Beyond commercial success, we also hope to play a pivotal role in raising awareness among both present and future generations regarding the urgent need to develop and actively use products that are fundamentally more environmentally friendly. Today, we routinely recycle our plastic bottles, our light bulbs, and our printer cartridges – so why shouldn’t we extend this responsible habit to recycling our speakers tomorrow? This cultural shift is essential for a truly circular economy. We are already deeply immersed in the conceptualization and development of other sustainable and responsible high-tech objects. For instance, our discussions include the potential integration of our organic photovoltaic film (OPV) ASCA, a revolutionary technology that could empower future devices to generate their own power, thereby reducing our dependence on non-renewable energies. The horizon is brimming with great opportunities to redefine sustainable technology!

3DN: A last word for our readers?

Clervie: If you are someone who deeply values environmental protection, appreciates innovative products, and enjoys the superior quality of items proudly “Made in France,” then we strongly encourage you to explore our Kickstarter campaign. There, you’ll find comprehensive information about the OWA Speaker, its features, and our sustainable mission, and you can secure your pre-order to be among the first to experience this revolutionary device. To stay completely up to date on all the exciting news and developments surrounding OWA, we invite you to follow us on our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We are always eager to engage with our community, so please do not hesitate to share your questions, feedback, or ideas with us. You can reach out directly via email at [email protected]. Your input is invaluable as we continue to push the boundaries of sustainable technology.