Sonos - Giving Back

It starts with listening

We engage with communities and organizations through stakeholder roundtables and intentional conversations, learning how we can best provide support and make a positive impact.

"We bring a holistic approach to building our products sustainably, fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce and giving back to our communities — all of this helps us act responsibly for our stakeholders.”

Deji Olukotun

Director of Global Affairs and Sustainability

Regenerative sound

Conserving forests and promoting biodiversity

Bioacoustics is a cutting-edge field that uses sound to promote biodiversity and conservation. Through our philanthropic program, Sonos is supporting the Scripps Acoustic Ecology Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. A leading center for global earth science research and education, Scripps scientists work to understand and protect the planet by investigating our oceans to find solutions to our greatest environmental challenges. Sonos funds are supporting bioacoustics research that evaluates how commercial shipping impacts marine ecosystems in the Santa Barbara Channel.

As part of our partnership, Sonos designed a sound installation for the newest exhibit at Birch Aquarium, an oceanographic museum that showcases research discoveries by Scripps scientists on climate, earth, and ocean science. The new habitat celebrates Little Blue Penguins, a unique Australian species that is threatened by the impacts of climate change.

Music education

Positively changing the lives of young people

Since 2018, we have donated over $1 million to youth music education programs around the world, partnering with youth orchestras, beatmaking workshops, choral groups, and music camps. We’re proud to have achieved our goal of providing 100,000 hours of quality music education to underserved youth by 2025.

One of our long-standing partners, ZUMIX, empowers young people to build successful futures for themselves — transforming lives and communities through music, technology, and creative employment. Sonos supports ZUMIX’s programming that equips youth with the tools necessary to reach their full potential, while creating a safe space for them to explore who they are and who they want to be. ZUMIX is committed to providing access to top-quality arts experiences for a low-income, historically underserved neighborhood of East Boston in Massachusetts.

Inclusive sound

Championing women and BIPOC in sound

A 2021 study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that only 2% of audio engineers were women. That doesn't sound right to us, so we're supporting We Are Moving the Needle, a nonprofit founded by Grammy award-winning sound mixer Emily Lazar.

We Are Moving The Needle is focused on closing the gender gap and bringing equity to the recording industry. From providing scholarships to leading music production academies, donating recording equipment, and expanding career opportunities, their work is laying the foundation for long-lasting change.

Read all about our efforts

Learn more about our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) in the 2022 Listen Better Report, where we share detailed information on our broader initiatives regarding sustainability, supply chain responsibility, giving back, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and disclose the progress we've made in the past year.

Download the 2022 Listen Better Report (PDF)