What is Quiet Mark?
Quiet Mark is the international certification programme funding the UK Noise Abatement Society charity (est. 1959) sharing together the same public health service remit. Conducting expert acoustic testing and verification of products Quiet Mark has over the past 15 years driven change in manufacturing worldwide to prioritise noise reduction within the design of everyday machines, appliances, technologies and house build materials, creating the world's first one-stop platform for third-party approved noise reduction solutions for every living space to support health and well-being.
Through specialist acoustic measurement and product assessment, Quiet Mark identifies the quietest products in 80+ product categories giving consumers, trade buyers, architects and specifiers a more informed choice about the sound levels of the products they buy to empower responsible product sourcing. 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.
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 near-single-handedly lobbied the Noise Abatement Act through Parliament, and in 1960 from his effor 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.
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 public health product symbol and directory guide to help consumers and industry easily identify quietest products for the home, at work and for public spaces.
The Building Sector
In 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, heat pumps and more.
This brand-new online platform further equips and empowers architects, builders and designers with a guide to expertly verified leading acoustic solutions for responsible design in every building application area. For more details - www.acousticsacademy.com
Our Partnerships
Quiet Mark has established a unique alliance of partnerships with leading retailer groups who are helping shoppers to find the quietest appliance technology available on the market at point of sale including John Lewis & Partners, Argos Sainsburys, Currys, Harrods and Appliance City.
Quiet Mark’s top level partnership with NBS, a leading construction data and specification platform, empowers 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.
The Quiet Mark RIBA-Approved CPD for the Building Sector is subscribed to by thousands of architect practices as part of the education side to Quiet Mark’s charitable remit.
Quiet Mark works in partnership with the US Good Housekeeping Institute for the past 8 years, 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 quality assurance symbol, our retail and industry partners are enabling a more informed choice about quieter high-performance products, a powerful example of collective 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 a powerful anchor, necessary to navigate the times. One of the antidotes to anxiety, stress and uncertainties can be found in quietness.
From the latest evidence indicating extensive noise intolerance with the necessity for more quiet, Quiet Mark has responded creating a multi season campaign. The first AW '23 and '24 season filmed across several stunning land and seascapes on the West Coast of Scotland - each of the four films accompanied by an original music score composed by featured world class musicians Hattie Webb (Sting/Leonard Cohen) & Andrea Resce.
In 2024 the Find Your Quiet TV campaign showcases the shining stars of low noise technology in cinematic glory Quiet featuring several Certified brands alongside our real life heroes for the Overcomers campaign story. Chosen for their courage walking through seasons of health challenges our idents feature Sandy, Anna, Mark and Elijah the pussy cat, why Quiet means the most to them.
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 Find Your Quiet TV soundtracks on all major streaming platforms: https://lnk.to/s7GaoOju
Discover more at www.findyourquiet.co.uk
For more details - www.quietmark.com
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