ITU-T Recommendations

In recent years, more and more headphones belonging to the group of true wireless stereo (TWS) products have become commercially available. In 2019, sales of TWS earbuds surpassed the sales of (non-TWS) wireless earphones.
The advent of true wireless stereo headphones raises the question on their performance in terms of health and safety of the user. There is a close link between the health/safety of the user and substances used in true wireless stereo headphones.
The concept of products with minimal substances of concern and the phasing out of harmful substances for non-essential uses is one of the key aspects in the European Sustainable Chemicals Strategy, which is an important building block towards the goal of zero-pollution, essential for a circular economy. While the idea of non-essential uses is somewhat new in EU legislative initiatives, it originates from the 1978 US Toxic Substances Control Act and was taken up by other countries such as Canada. The concept was finally enshrined in the Montreal Protocol, designed to protect the ozone layer. As more and more countries recognize the importance of a circular economy to combat climate change, the notion of products with minimal substances of concern is gaining relevance.
With increasing relevance, the need for a method to compare the environmental, health and safety performance of TWS products is rising. Recommendation ITU-T L.1016 aims to establish a standardized methodology to evaluate a score of the aforementioned aspects.