Noise pollution is second only to air pollution as the biggest global threat to public health, according to the World Health Organization. The new era of sound-design has arrived, as studies show that 62% of consumers are now actively seeking solutions to combat negative sound overload.
With that in mind, UK-based Quiet Mark, the certification program that has pioneered the “Quiet Revolution” of products for nearly 60 years through the Noise Abatement Society, makes its official U.S. debut this month. The launch comes in collaboration with the Good Housekeeping Institute, as they host the first ever “U.S. Quiet Mark Awarded Product Showcase.” With companies such as BMW, Virgin Atlantic, and Panasonic working with Quiet Mark since its inception in the UK in 2012, the brand is now bringing its program to the U.S.
“We are absolutely thrilled to bring Quiet Mark to North America in hopes of further informing consumers, government, and brands alike about the impact of sound on our well-being,” said Quiet Mark Founder and Managing Director Poppy Szkiler. “With help from the first-ever awarded U.S. brand partners, Miele, Philips, De’Longhi, Karcher, Logitech, Magimix, Dyson, and Interface, we are well on our way to sharing our vision for responsible businesses to shape the future of our world.”
Quiet Mark’s proprietary testing program is carried out at facilities located in the UK and U.S., manned by expert acousticians specializing in over 50 product categories. The acoustics of these labs are carefully designed to represent real-life scenarios, in which the products being tested would typically be used. State-of-the-art, calibrated instrumentation is used to record the product sounds as they would be received by the human ear. Quiet Mark also takes into consideration the core performance of the product, and looks to work with products across a range of price points to cater for most budgets. Using this method, the company has awarded over 500 different products from quiet washing machines, vacuum cleaners, no-noise musical instruments, toilet flushes, hand-dryers to forklift trucks, acoustic glazing, insulation and doors.
Szkiler’s grandfather, John Connell OBE, founded the Noise Abatement Society in 1959, laying the groundwork for the Quiet Mark brand. As a result, the company sprang from the response to public complaints received by the Society’s 24/7 national noise helpline, concerning the volume of excessive noise made by household tools, appliances, and technology. The Quiet Mark is now being used by companies across worldwide networks, with specific Quiet Mark campaign activity in Europe, Hong Kong, Japan – and now – North America.
