Gerrard Street

Pelican House Headphones will not be thrown away

Every year, about 15 million tons of headphones turn into waste, as do the valuable materials inside. Pelican House, a Dutch headphones company, brings a unique solution to the table...

Pelican House headphones are completely modularly built. So if a particular part of the headphones breaks – such as the cable, which is the most common reason why headphones are thrown away – consumers can return the broken part to Pelican House. Within four days, they’ll receive the replacement part, which they can easily install by themselves. The broken part will either be repaired or recycled by Pelican House. These headphones – simply called ‘Pelican House Headphones’ – are beautifully made over-the-ear models, developed by Scheek Loudspeakers. They are supposed to offer a significantly better audio quality compared to in-ear models.

Headphones for rent

But what Pelican House really sets apart from the competition is their business model. Pelican House headphones – worth around €250 -
cannot be bought, they have to be rented. For €5 a month, the client gets a pair of Pelican House headphones. Broken parts will be replaced free of charge. Pelican House even sends upgrades – also free of charge -, so the headphones will always be up-to-date. The rental period is twelve months at least. After that, the rent is terminable each month.

History repeating

The Pelican House brand name is actually based on an historical fact. In 1895, the first headphones – called ‘Electrophone’ - were ntroduced in London. These were not for sale, but for £5 a year users could dial in and listen to opera houses and music halls from the  comfort of their homes. But it turned out that people also liked to listen together to the Electrophone. One of the places that were popular as an Electrophone listening room was the suite of the Pelican House.