Acoustate: From Wasted Filters to Sound Panels

Salma Garana

Summary
Final work

Hello, I'm Salma Garana, a Product and Industrial Designer driven by curiosity and a strong passion for uncovering insights that shape meaningful design. I actively seek out projects and environments where I don’t have all the answers, because that’s where the most valuable learning happens. Whether it's unfamiliar industries, new user groups, or unexplored materials, I thrive in spaces that challenge me to ask questions, dive deep into research, and build understanding from the ground up.

During my placement year at PepsiCo, I gained first-hand exposure to large-scale innovation and brand strategy, where I worked closely on projects rooted in consumer insight and behavioral research. That experience sharpened my ability to observe, listen, and translate data into thoughtful, user-driven design directions.

I approach design not just as a problem-solving tool, but as a way to learn, connect, and constantly evolve. With a strong foundation in research and a genuine curiosity about how people interact with products.

Hello, I'm Salma Garana, a Product and Industrial Designer driven by curiosity and a strong passi...

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CollegeCentral Saint Martins
CourseBA (Hons) Product and Industrial Design
Graduation year2025

Acoustate is a response to the acoustic industry’s overreliance on unsustainable materials like fiberglass and polyurethane foam, products with a limited lifespan of roughly 10 years. While recent innovations, such as panels made from recycled PET bottles, aim to reduce plastic waste, they often fall short at end-of-life, ultimately ending up in landfill. This cycle of disposal and repurchase reflects a lack of industry accountability, something Acoustate aims to change.

At the heart of Acoustate is Acetex, the world’s first thread made from cigarette filters. Every year, 700 billion unused cigarette filters are incinerated due to illegal trade, releasing 9.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, equivalent to emissions from 2.1 million fuel-powered cars. Yet these filters, made from cellulose acetate, have untapped potential; extensive research reveals that they possess excellent high-frequency acoustic absorption properties suitable for 1000Hz-4000Hz.

By blending cellulose acetate filters with medium-coarse British wool, an abundant but undervalued resource, I developed Acetex, a yarn that is moisture-resistant, non-flammable, thermally regulating, and acoustically effective. This innovation forms the backbone of Acoustate’s cradle-to-cradle design philosophy.

Unlike conventional acoustic panels that are treated as disposable, Acoustate panels are designed for longevity and circularity. Each panel is built with a refillable system of cigarette rods and loose fiber that can be replenished under warranty. Used materials can be collected through our takeback scheme, then reprocessed into new yarn, ensuring a fully closed-loop system.

Acoustate was creating using a 4 step absorbing system, sound waves are easily passed through our loose knitted material with increased surface area and air gaps and absorbed in the loose fiber and filter rods and lastly trapped with our tightly woven material creating an envelope where sound waves do not escape rather bounce back into the filters and loose fiber. By transforming waste into high-performance material, Acoustate challenges the status quo.