Cloudbeat

What it does

Cloudbeat is a sustainable Bluetooth speaker designed for easy repair and recycling. To address growing e-waste from low repairability and recycling rates, it targets athletes—one of the largest user groups—through a collaboration with sportswear brand On.

Your inspiration

As avid music lovers who grew up playing instruments, my partner and I were motivated to create a sustainable solution connected to our passion beyond design. We both had Bluetooth speakers around us all the time and realized how often we had to replace them due to various issues, contributing to landfill waste. Using our previous knowledge in sustainable design—especially disassembly and recycling—we reimagined portable Bluetooth speakers to be both eco-friendly and deliver exceptional sound for music lovers like us.

How it works

Cloudbeat is a speaker designed without adhesives, making it easy to disassemble and repair. Its main body shell is made of polypropylene, with all parts fitting securely inside and fastened using Phillips screws—the most common screw type. The speaker mesh, also polypropylene, is heat-bonded to the body, allowing the entire unit to be recycled without separating parts. The backplate, made from recycled EVA soles, provides a watertight seal but can be peeled off easily without removing many screws or glue, giving users quick access to internal components. This design simplifies troubleshooting and helps prevent users from discarding the speaker over minor issues. If the electronics fail, users can return the speaker to On stores via the Cyclon program to get replacements. Because no adhesives are used, the speaker is easier to recycle at the end of its life.

Design process

Our main challenge was designing the internal structure to be assembled without adhesives. We started with market research to understand speaker mechanisms and what components and arrangements make for good sound quality. This was key because we wanted the product to be sustainable but also high-performing. Since we’re focusing on people who listen to music while exercising, we looked at everything from small wearable speakers to larger stationary ones. We visited physical stores to get a sense of weight and size, and spoke with salespeople to learn more about each product. Then we moved into concept ideation. We explored different use cases—wearables for runners, modular systems for team workouts, and portable speakers for individuals or groups. After feedback from peers and regular exercisers, we chose a single, handheld portable speaker. From there, we sketched out forms in 2D and 3D, keeping brand identity, material use, and sound quality in mind. We 3D printed prototypes, tested with actual components, and did sound tests across genres. Since we used no adhesives, we could easily iterate. The final steps involved refining materials and the user repair flow. We chose polypropylene for recyclability and used recycled EVA soles for the backplate, inspired by shoe recycling.

How it is different

Many products today tie sustainability solely to materials. While important, this often leads to trade-offs in function or desirability. We wanted to prove that sustainable design can be high-performing and appealing. Cloudbeat stands out by focusing on repairability as well as materials. It simplifies the repair process so non-experts can fix it, making it truly user-friendly. A product is only sustainable if people want to use it. So Cloudbeat isn’t a compromise, but an upgrade. The recycled EVA backplate isn’t just eco-conscious; it improves usability. Its peelable, flexible design is intentionally made to be both satisfying and functional, giving users easy access to internal components. Every detail in Cloudbeat is thoughtfully designed to balance sustainability, usability, and experience.

Future plans

Our next step is to further improve the speaker’s repairable design and internal layout, and explore how this adhesive-free system can be adapted to different speaker sizes. While the current casing was designed for a specific brand, our goal is to develop a universally repairable Bluetooth speaker. We also plan to refine the sound quality and conduct deeper analysis on non-adhesive assembly methods. Moving forward, we’ll continue applying the sustainable design values we learned from this project, aiming to make sustainability the standard, not the compromise, in future consumer products.

Awards