Currently, electronic waste is posing a growing threat towards the environment. Electronic products are often difficult to recycle efficiently while also consisting of toxic substances and materials. Furthermore, e-waste is today's fastest-growing category of waste. Due to the complexity of recycling e-waste, scientists, designers, and consumers are instead calling for products with longer life spans as a part of the many actions required to solve today's environmental challenges. 

The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to examine and design an original concept of a common e-waste product, over-ear headphones. The modular design aims to enable the product to achieve a higher life expectancy, and therefore less environmental impact, than other currently existing headphones on the market. 

This bachelor thesis project was made in collaboration with Urbanista. Through interviews and design reviews with their employees, I aimed to broaden my understanding of the headphone as a product and the current headphone market. I also recieved invaluable input on my design propsals from people professionals within the industry. 

The final prototype consists of two 3D-printed headphones with added textiles. One of prototypes shown in its disassembled state as different modules, and one of them shown as fully assembled. The final design proposal is a concrete example of how modular design can be applied to headphones in order to prolong product life expectancy and therefore lessen the environmental impact these products cause the world today.