At the SAVe 2025 Global Conference, Chris Schyvinck, president and chief executive officer of Shure, delivered a keynote address detailing the 100-year-old company’s amplified focus on sustainability. Schyvinck shared insights into Shure‘s holistic approach, breaking down its initiatives into three key areas: people, products and planet. The session highlighted a journey of continuous improvement and the importance of industry-wide collaboration.
Schyvinck acknowledged the company’s progress, noting that while Shure has long had green in its logo, its identity as a “green company” has solidified significantly over the past five years. This shift was inspired by the core values of its founder, Sidney N. Shure, who believed in being a “good neighbor and a good corporate citizen.”
How Shure Built A Holistic Approach to Sustainability
Shure’s strategy centers on a comprehensive view of its environmental impact, from product design to corporate culture. Schyvinck emphasized that even a centennial company can look forward and innovate for the future. “Companies across the globe are really rethinking their operations in terms of how they minimize their environmental footprint,” she explained.
According to Schyvinck, the company has focused extensively on product design and lifecycle management. Here, it has created durable hardware with modernization available through software updates. As a result, this reduces the need for new hardware and minimizes e-waste. She elaborated, “We can take that rugged hardware and we can keep modernizing it through enhancements in our software and that allows us to really think about our product life cycles in different and much more creative ways.”
Key Initiatives and Achievements
At the SAVe 2025 Conference, Schyvinck revealed that Shure has implemented several impactful programs to advance its sustainability goals:
- Rechargeable Technology: By transitioning from disposable AA batteries to rechargeable solutions over a decade ago, Shure estimates it has prevented more than 20 million batteries from entering landfills in the last five years alone. By 2027, this initiative is projected to save 100 million batteries.
- Sustainable Packaging: Shure joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and set aggressive targets. By the end of 2025, the goal is for all new products to have 90% recyclable or renewable packaging and for 75% of existing products to meet this standard. Schyvinck proudly stated that the company is on track to exceed these goals.
- Waste Reduction: Through partnerships specializing in reverse logistics and internal programs like its B-stock equipment initiative, Shure actively diverts products and materials from landfills, giving them a second life in communities in need.
Shure Emphasizes That Collaboration is Key
Throughout the keynote, Schyvinck underscored the value of organizations like SAVe. “SAVE is certainly the first industry-wide, US-based organization bringing AV leaders together and taking concerted action to work toward these goals,” she said. She highlighted the collaborative spirit of the conference, where even competitors can unite for a common cause. “It’s wonderful that we can come together like this and really learn from each other,” emphasized Schyvinck.
Concluding with a quote from the company’s founder, Schyvinck reaffirmed Shure’s commitment: “Our company’s progress is based on doing what is right, rather than making decisions on what we may be able to get away with.”
To learn more about how you can contribute to the AV industry’s sustainability efforts, visit the SAVe website.
