Suan makes the circular economy audible for SENS eRecycling
SENS eRecycling is launching a new campaign that uses sound to highlight electronics recycling. The campaign, conceived by Suan, focuses on the characteristic sounds of broken electronic devices to raise awareness about proper recycling.
What does the end of an electronic device actually sound like? That’s exactly the question posed by Sens eRecycling’s new 2025+ campaign, conceived and produced by Suan in collaboration with Dreifive. The audio-driven campaign focuses on the sounds of broken electronic devices, making recycling not only visible in a distinctive way, but above all audible.
«That’s really what it sounds like when a device is nearing the end of its life,» explains Nando Erne, Head of Marketing and Communications at SENS eRecycling, who has been involved in the annual campaigns of Switzerland’s largest take-back system for electrical appliances for many years. «We’re all familiar with these sounds. They mark the starting point for the next step: proper e-recycling.»
Onomatopoeia Brings the Circular Economy to Life
The campaign relies heavily on onomatopoeia, accompanied by real sounds. This brings the concept of a circular economy to life on both a visual and auditory level. Through typography and sound, noises like “Rrratter,” “Knarrrz,” and “Drrröhn” convey the message: When a device makes strange noises, it’s time to dispose of it properly or have it repaired.
This idea forms the basis of a broad-based campaign that will be rolled out online, on the radio, and through print inserts. Short radio spots feature familiar everyday sounds—the hum of a razor, the whir of a blender, or the creak of a broken fan—and pair them with the message, which was further developed in collaboration with copywriter Diego Stocker (Textosteron).
Two Practical Solutions for Proper Recycling
The goal of the campaign is to provide the target audience with two main solutions for proper recycling: the Electro Recycling Bag, which allows small appliances to be conveniently returned by mail, and the Circular Platform, which helps users repair, reuse, or recycle their items.
In collaboration with Till Gmür, we also produced a series of video clips featuring real people, each representing one of the three target groups. The clips depict funny and authentic everyday stories and form the basis of a target-group-specific paid ad campaign that will air throughout Switzerland.
The eye-catching visuals and animations from the three-year campaign have been running since August 2025 on social media, YouTube, and Spotify. The highlight of this year’s campaign was International E-Waste Day, when AI-generated animal characters helped generate a great deal of attention among the Swiss public.
Person in charge at SENS eRecycling: Nando Erne (Head of Marketing and Communications), Daria Baur (Project Manager, Marketing and Communications), Contact person at Suan: André Konrad (Creative Director), Sabrina Scherzinger (Project Manager), Erica David (Art Director), Ramon Mohler (Art Director), Leila Epprecht (Intern), Text Production: Diego Stocker (Textosteron), Video Production and Casting: Till Gmür, Audio production: Nadja Ender and Bobby Gertsch (nice noise)
