What is Quiet Mark?
Quiet Mark is the international certification programme associated with the UK Noise Abatement Society charitable foundation (est. 1959). Conducting expert acoustic testing and verification of products Quiet Mark has over the past 10 years driven change in manufacturing worldwide to prioritise noise reduction within the design of everyday machines, appliances, technologies and house build materials, creating the first one-stop platform for third-party approved noise reduction solutions for every living space to health and well-being.
Through specialist acoustic measurement and product assessment, Quiet Mark identifies the quietest products in over 80 product categories giving consumers and trade buyers a more informed choice about the sound levels of the products they buy. The Quiet Mark scheme drives designers and manufacturers to reduce sound levels of their products enabling households and workplaces to rebalance the soundscape reducing stressful unwanted noise.
Why Quiet Mark?
"I couldn't hear my baby crying over the noise of the hairdryer"
The damaging effect of excessive noise on health, productivity and social cohesion is seriously underestimated. World Health Organisation research shows that environmental noise pollution affects mental and physical health and is now second only to air pollution as the world’s largest killer pollutant. Across an estimated population of 340 million people, at least 1 million years of healthy living are lost each year due to noise pollution in Western Europe.
In our fast-paced lives, vibrancy is exciting and necessary. But this heightened state can only be valued if there is also the opportunity to choose the alternatives of calm, quiet and the chance to switch off. Quiet Mark was established to provide a credible, independent scheme that would help consumers easily identify quieter products for the home, at work and for public spaces.
Acoustics Academy for the Building Sector
In February 2020, in a move to further expand its service to tackle noise-related problems in building design Quiet Mark launched its Acoustics Academy to include third-party verification of specialist acoustic materials for the building sector including - walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows etc.
This brand-new online platform further equips and empowers architects, builders and designers with a guide to expertly verified leading acoustic solutions for every building application area. For more details - www.acousticsacademy.com
Our Partnerships
Quiet Mark has established a unique alliance of partnerships with leading retailers who are helping shoppers to find the quietest appliance technology available on the market including John Lewis & Partners, Argos Sainsburys, Currys Dixons, ASDA, Lakeland and British Independent Retailers Association.
Quiet Mark has announced a new partnership with NBS, a leading construction data and specification platform, to empower architects to specify ‘acoustics first’, by providing a short-cut for specifiers to source responsible products. The new partnership will enable the 3,600+ practices that use NBS to create specifications to easily source and find Quiet Mark certified products and materials.
Quiet Mark is working in partnership with the US Good Housekeeping Institute, one of the most trusted and respected names in America, acoustically testing and reviewing products for the benefit of its readers and raising the bar for quality acoustic design to support consumers health.
By highlighting the distinctive purple Quiet Mark as a trusted symbol, our retail partners are enabling consumers to make a more informed choice about quieter high-performance products they share their homes with. This is a powerful example of collective customer care to combat stress-related noise; an important health and environmental issue.
Find Your Quiet Campaign
In a troubled world finding your quiet every day is powerful and necessary to navigate the times. One of the antidotes to anxiety, stress and uncertainties can be found in the Quiet.
From the latest evidence indicating extensive noise intolerance with the necessity for more quiet, Quiet Mark has responded creating a campaign to help the nation find what it’s looking for. Filmed across several stunning land and seascapes of the West Coast of Scotland, each of the four films is carried by an original music score composed by featured worldclass musicians Hattie Webb & Andrea Resce.
Quiet Mark believes in the extraordinary benefits of communion within the beauty of our natural world. Acoustic instrumentals for the Beach, Forest, Mountain and River locations lead listeners to discover the moments of wonder experienced in the near silence nature recordings at the end of each film.
Listen to the Quiet EP on all major streaming platforms: https://lnk.to/s7GaoOju
Discover more at www.findyourquiet.co.uk
Our Heritage
The Noise Abatement Society (NAS) was founded in 1959 by the entrepreneurial businessman John Connell OBE who believed that being exposed to excessive noise profoundly affected health, children's learning, productivity, and general quality of life – he called noise ‘the forgotten pollutant’.
John almost single-handedly lobbied the Noise Abatement Act through Parliament, when in 1960, noise became a statutory nuisance for the first time in the UK. His practical problem-solving included introducing rubber dustbin lids and plastic milk crates to reduce urban disturbance, stopping night flights, and in the early 70’s he commissioned detailed planning for a revolutionary Thames Estuary Airport directing flight paths out to sea.
Today the internationally respected NAS seeks to accelerate change to protect future generations from a worsening aural environment by disseminating new methods of sound management, running an awareness programme for schools, incentivising industry to design low-noise technology and providing the only national helpline dedicated solely to the problems of noise. NAS cannot change the human condition, but it can offer practical ways to support those who wish to exercise choice in an otherwise noisy world.
For more details - www.quietmark.com
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