When I ask sound engineers, tour managers, and facility technicians how many AA/AAA batteries they use per year, many can only come up with vague estimations – often, they have no idea at all. I’ve toured with major artists like Alan Walker and worked on events like the Lillehammer Youth Olympic Games with my production company Sonic City.
One thing we used to overlook was the amount of single-use batteries used to power wireless mics, in-ear receivers, monitor systems, and other pro audio devices. Alkaline batteries that can power any device from any manufacturer remain a vital charging option for our industry – that isn’t going to change any time soon. What does need to change is the way we think about battery usage. It’s time to address the crisis no one wants to talk about.
As a medium-sized organisation, Sonic City operates 74 channels of wireless equipment and uses over 20,000 single-use batteries per year. So, how does that look on an industry-wide scale? Norwegian cultural institution Kulturrom estimated the entertainment industry in Norway alone uses over 1 million disposable batteries each year. That number was based on information from concert venues, touring artists, production companies and theatres, countrywide.
It’s difficult to say how many millions of disposable batteries are used across the wider global professional AV ecosystem. A simple first step that integrators, venues and facilities should take is tracking how many single-use batteries they use. Adding up those numbers and the associated costs should be all the motivation you need to start thinking about alternatives.
While major manufacturers like Shure and Sennheiser offer fantastic pro audio devices, they have proprietary charging systems and come with a cost premium. Anyone can buy rechargeable batteries in IKEA for their TV remote, but the inherent 1.2 voltage capacity means they’re nowhere near up to scratch for pro environments. You can’t have a lead singer, live presenter, or company CEO’s microphone cut out midway through a show to basic battery issues.
Regardless of battery type, recycling is critical. The new EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542 aims to reach a recycling rate of 73 percent by the end of 2030. The regulation also proposes a digital battery passport approach by 2027 to promote recycling and responsible usage. By the end of 2030, the EU is assessing whether to phase out the use of non-rechargeable batteries altogether. These measures will put more pressure on manufacturers, distributors and end users to understand where their batteries come from and maximise their lifecycles.
RESPONSIBLE FUTURE
New tech is making it possible to create professional-grade disposable rechargeables that have deeper visibility into discharge curves. Aside from clear cost and sustainability benefits, relying on disposables doesn’t really make sense from a convenience standpoint. Last-minute supplier runs and unpredictable, and hard-to-track expenditure isn’t ideal for any touring crew or integrator working under pressure.
For live entertainment and AV, disposable battery usage is a simple issue to fix. We just need to start talking about it.
