GLOBAL: L-Acoustics has announced a strategic investment in French-based MagREEsource, securing exclusive partner rights within the professional audio sector for a sustainable and European-based source of rare earth magnets—critical components in loudspeaker manufacturing. The move marks a bold step in the company’s sustainability roadmap while reinforcing supply chain resilience amid growing demand and resource constraints.

This collaboration introduces a pioneering circular economy model to the professional audio industry, centred on innovative recycling and magnet manufacturing technologies. Through this partnership, L-Acoustics gains access to MagREEsource’s proprietary process that enables 100% recovery of neodymium magnets from diverse sources, including loudspeakers, electric vehicle motors, and wind turbine generators. The recycled materials are transformed into high-performance magnets with identical capabilities to those produced using newly mined rare earth elements.

For L-Acoustics, the alliance represents a transformational approach to sustainable manufacturing. “The strategic investment and partnership with MagREEsource represent a significant advancement in our sustainability journey,” said Hervé Guillaume, CEO at L-Acoustics Group. “By securing exclusive access to this revolutionary technology for the professional audio sector, we are not only reducing our environmental footprint but also strengthening our supply chain resilience and delivering on our commitment to responsible innovation. We’re proud to support a promising startup whose breakthrough technology has the potential to transform sustainability practices across multiple industries. The ability to recycle nearly 100% of magnet materials from diverse sources creates a true circular economy model that can benefit the audio sector and beyond.”

Echoing the significance of the partnership, Erick Petit, President and Co-founder of MagREEsource, commented, “This partnership with L-Acoustics represents a pivotal moment for MagREEsource. Their strategic investment provides crucial resources that will accelerate our growth and technology development. This collaboration with a global industry leader validates our approach and opens potential opportunities for innovation in the professional audio sector. Together, with our circular ‘magnet-to-magnet’ model, we’re creating a sustainable and sovereign supply chain for rare earth magnets that addresses critical environmental and resource challenges while demonstrating how established companies and disruptive startups can partner to drive innovation with the process and to the final loudspeaker design and conception.”

The environmental gains of the MagREEsource model are considerable. Compared to traditional magnet production, recycled magnets emit 91% less CO₂—just 6 kg per kilogram of magnet, versus 67.6 kg for conventional manufactured equivalents. The process also slashes water usage by 86%, saving an estimated 1,187 litres per kilogram produced.

L-Acoustics sees further potential in extending recycling initiatives within its ecosystem. Future plans may include the development of end-of-life magnet collection hubs and the integration of recycled magnetic materials in new product designs. These efforts form part of a wider vision to reduce industry dependence on virgin rare earth extraction while embedding sustainability across the entire product lifecycle.

MagREEsource currently operates a pilot facility in Noyarey, France, with an annual capacity of 80 tons. Plans are underway to scale this to a full industrial facility—MagFactory—by 2028, with a projected output of 1,000 tons per year. The project has received backing from European institutions and was recently recognised as a “European Strategic Project under the Critical Raw Materials Act.”