How Tariffs and Trade Wars Silence Us All

While headlines about trade wars and tariffs often focus on cars or food shortages, there’s a quieter crisis unfolding for many of us with hearing loss. Hearing aids are also caught in the crossfire of geopolitical tensions. Their interconnected global supply chains reveal how trade policies don’t just affect economies; they directly shape our future desire for connection.

The Global Connection to Manufacturing Hearing Aids

A single hearing aid is an international collaboration at its core. The way I can show you is to explain the origin story of each hearing aid part. Here’s what a little Google search told me:

1. Plastic Shells
   • The shells for hearing aids are made of acrylic (Lucite) for In-the-Canal hearing aids, Polycarbonate for in-the-ear hearing aids, or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) for Behind the Ears or Receiver in the Canal.
     • For acrylic, which is made from Methyl methacrylate derived from acetone cyanohydrin (ACH), countries like Latvia, Belarus, and Mexico are major producers, while others are from isobutylene ammoxidation, where China, Germany and Japan are major producers.
     • Polycarbonate originates from the Nordic and Baltic regions, and one of its raw materials, such as sodium chloride, can be mined in many places in the world, including Canada and the US.
     • Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) are made from acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene, and 75% of ABS is made in Asia.
   • Tinanum is another raw material found in the plastic shell, and they are usually mined in Australia, Canada, Norway, South Africa, Mozambique, and China.
2. Ear Molds
   • Molds are made from silicone and vinyl originating from Brazil, China, Russia, the United States (particularly Arkansas), and Madagascar.
3. Microchips and Circuitry
   • Microprocessors rely on silicon, which is the same material as ear molds, but the circuitry is made from copper ore, which 50% is found in Chile, Australia, Peru, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Russia.
4. Receivers
   • High-end receivers have raw ingredients like titanium mined in and neodymium magnets mined in Turkey, China, Australia, Brazil, and the United States.
5. Batteries
   • Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries often have raw materials that come from global markets like Australia, Chile, and China.

Let’s not Forget About Production.

While raw ingredients are extracted from the earth, that is the start, but not the end. Many other countries play an essential part by importing the natural ingredients to make new items that form the basic ingredients for each of the parts needed to assemble a hearing aid. Many trades are happening before a hearing aid can be put together in countries like Canada (Unitron), the US (Starkey), Switzerland (Phonak), and Denmark (Oticon, ReSound, and Widex- WS Audiology).

The Ripple Effect of Trade Wars

• Cost Inflation: Any increase in tariff on global electronics could add $$$ to hearing aid prices.
• Supply Chain Delays: During the 2021 semiconductor shortage, many noticeable slowdowns impacted people needing hearing aids for the most significant moments in their lives.
• Stifled Innovation: When we complain that we can’t hear well in loud background noise, some cross-border R&D partnerships drive breakthroughs like AI-driven sound processing. Trade barriers risk siloing progress.

We Are All Connected

A hearing aid isn’t just a product; it’s a pact between nations.

Taiwan microchips, Madagascar silicon, and Chile lithium-ion magnets converge to give someone the gift of hearing sounds. When trade wars fracture these networks, we don’t just lose efficiency—we lose the thing that keeps us all connected, not just trade, but to hear each other better. By recognizing our shared reliance on global collaboration, we can ensure a world where we cooperate.