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15 Years of Inventing Quiet: How Framery Created the Office Pod

The evolution of the office pod from left to right: Pömpeli, Framery C, Framery O, Framery One

TAMPERE, Finland, June 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Framery, the global leader in designing, manufacturing, and marketing soundproof office pods, is proud to announce its 15th anniversary, a milestone that also marks 15 years since the company invented the office pod, fundamentally changing how millions work.

Founded in 2010, Framery was born out of the shared frustrations of working in a distracting open–plan office environment. Samu Hällfors, CEO and co–founder, then in his early twenties and working in an open–plan office, experienced firsthand the challenges of maintaining focus amidst constant noise. “The constant noise, particularly from our boss's phone calls, was incredibly frustrating,” recalls Hällfors. “My friend and I suggested he take his calls elsewhere, and he responded, “Well, buy me a phone booth.”

The request ignited an idea. Since no such options existed, Framery's founders recognized a big opportunity. In their garage, they built the first office pod prototype, affectionately named “Pömpeli” (a Finnish word for “box”). This became the world's first commercial office pod, launched in 2010. It not only met a key need for quiet, but also created a whole new product category and the company Framery. This led to more models and continuous innovation. In 2013, Framery launched the Framery O, the first pod to achieve a 30dB speech reduction, and it remains one of the world's best–selling pods to this day.

Since those humble beginnings, Framery has grown exponentially, becoming synonymous with high quality and effective soundproof spaces. What started as a solution for a few colleagues is now a necessity for millions of knowledge workers in over 100 countries, utilized by most of the world's leading companies, including industry giants like Nvidia, Puma, BCG and Microsoft. Today, approximately 70% of all Forbes Top 100 companies rely on Framery's products to create more functional and productive workspaces.

The new Framery Smart Pods from left to right: Framery Six, Framery Four, Framery One, Framery One Compact

Last year marked the most significant milestone for the office pod industry since Framery invented the product category with the launch of the first smart pod. Building upon Framery's renowned acoustic privacy, these next–generation pods incorporate smart office solutions that address the most pressing challenges of today's hybrid work environments.

“This seamless fusion of smart features with our physical pod design became a true catalyst for the industry,” says Samu Hällfors. “Just as smart features have become standard in many other product categories, we saw this as an expected and necessary evolution for office pods to truly support the modern workplace.”

Celebrating 15 years since creating the office pod industry, Framery views this milestone as a launchpad for future innovation and leadership. What began in a garage has become integral to modern workspace design, and Framery continues to drive the evolution of how we work.

ABOUT FRAMERY

Framery is the global leader in soundproof pods and smart office solutions, enabling people to focus on what truly matters and get things done. Framery is a necessity for a successful workday for millions of knowledge workers in over 100 countries and within most of the world's leading companies including Nvidia, Puma, and Microsoft. In fact, around 70% of all Forbes Top 100 companies use our products.

For further information and interview requests please contact: [email protected]

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In a Changing World, Protecting Nature is Protecting Our Future

UNDP and Sweden working together under the Green Innovative Finance in Latin America and the Caribbean initiative. Credit: UNDP Costa Rica

By Lyes Ferroukhi and Karin Metell
PANAMA CITY, Panama, Jun 4 2025 – In a world marked by armed conflict, threats to democracy, technological disruptions, and geopolitical tensions, many people are asking: Why should we prioritize environmental crises when there are other, more visible or perceived as more urgent challenges?

From the perspective shared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Sweden, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the answer is clear: there is no prosperous economy, stability, peace, or development possible on a degraded planet.

The so-called “triple planetary crisis”—climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution—is not an isolated environmental problem: it is a multiplier of social and economic risks. It disrupts markets, weakens food security, drives forced migration, and erodes community resilience.

However, this crisis also represents a historic opportunity to rethink current development models and explore possible solutions. Latin America and the Caribbean could lead this paradigm shift by example. The region is home to 40% of the planet’s biodiversity and key ecosystems for climate regulation.

Karin Metell

Yet, it faces a paradox: its enormous natural capital stands in stark contrast to insufficient funding to protect it. The Paulson Institute, The Nature Conservancy, and Cornell University estimated in 2020 that the international biodiversity financing gap is between US$598–$824 billion annually.

At the same time, international resources for climate action fall far short of what is needed. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the region needs to multiply its climate finance flows by 8 to 10 times to meet the commitments countries outlined in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are essential for reducing emissions and adapting to climate change.

Faced with this challenge, green finance becomes a strategic tool. Achieving this requires ambitious public policies, solid regulatory frameworks, real commitment from major productive sectors, and, above all, large-scale resource mobilization.

Here, the private sector can and must be a key player, especially if it has an enabling framework that reduces investment risk, supported by governments and their public and financial institutions.

UNDP and Sweden are working together through the Green Innovative Finance for Latin America and the Caribbean (GIF 4 LAC) initiative. This partnership supports countries in mobilizing climate and environmental finance by strengthening their regulatory frameworks, generating data to improve transparency, and facilitating collaboration with the private sector. The goal is clear: to make sustainability a viable, scalable, and replicable investment.

Lyes Ferroukhi

We are already seeing results. Thanks to a course organized by UNDP and INCAE Business School as part of the initiative, a government team in El Salvador strengthened the case for an electric bus project in San Salvador. The project secured a $5 million loan from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) and has the potential to mobilize up to an additional $300 million to transform the country’s public transport system.

We are also collaborating with leading companies such as Devcco, which promotes clean technologies for district cooling systems in Latin American cities, and Avfall Sverige, the Swedish Waste Management Association, which promotes the zero-waste model. It is indeed possible to align profitability with sustainability.

Additionally, this initiative seeks to maximize the potential of the UNDP Environment and Energy team’s portfolio in Latin America and the Caribbean, which includes a large portfolio of projects financed by international environmental funds and platforms supporting public policy and finance like the Climate Promise and the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN). These represent the largest offer of support for NDCs and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).

We can say with certainty that protecting the planet is promoting economic and social development in a sustainable way. There will be no growth without healthy ecosystems, and no competitiveness without sustainability.

This is a goal that should inspire us to work together. We are facing a historic and decisive opportunity that requires the participation of more and more stakeholders. Investing in nature is investing in the future.

Lyes Ferroukhi is Regional Team Leader, Environment and Energy in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNDP.

Karin Metell is Head of Regional Cooperation for Latin America, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)

IPS UN Bureau

 


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Kazakhstan’s Path From Tragedy to Tolerance: Interfaith Dialogue, Peace, and Disarmament

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid tribute to the victims with a minute of silence. Credit: Akorda

By Katsuhiro Asagiri
TOKYO / ASTANA , Jun 4 2025 – On the windswept steppe west of Astana, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev led a solemn ceremony this week to mark Kazakhstan’s Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Repressions and Famine—an annual reflection on one of the nation’s darkest chapters.

The ceremony was held at the ALZHIR Memorial Complex, a former Stalin-era camp where nearly 8,000 women—wives of those declared “enemies of the state”—were once imprisoned.

“The lessons of history must never be forgotten,” Tokayev declared, referring to the Stalin-era policies that left deep scars on Kazakhstan’s cultural and intellectual life.

Credit: Map of Gulag locations in Soviet Union, Public Domain

Kazakhstan’s experience forms part of the broader story of Stalinist repression, which extended well beyond Russia’s borders. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, an estimated 560,000 to 760,000 Japanese prisoners of war and civilians were forcibly relocated and detained across Soviet territory. Among them, about 50,000 were sent to camps in what was then the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (now Kazakhstan). In camps such as Spassky near Karaganda, many perished under harsh forced labor and brutal conditions.

Kazakh citizens suffered even greater losses. In the early 1930s, famine caused by Stalin’s agricultural collectivization policies and the forced destruction of the traditional nomadic way of life claimed as many as 2.3 million Kazakhs. This was followed by purges in which countless intellectuals and landowners were executed or exiled.

Migration of Kazakh People due to theFamine in 1932 – 33.

Since gaining independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has sought not only to confront this painful legacy but also to embrace the vision of a multiethnic and multifaith society rooted in tolerance. Its constitution guarantees equality for all ethnic and religious groups, and more than 300,000 victims have been officially rehabilitated. Declassified archives continue to shed new light on this era.

But Kazakhstan’s progress is not merely about reconciliation with the past. It has also chosen to make tolerance and dialogue central pillars of its national identity.

As I wrote in a 2023 INPS Japan article, Kazakhstan’s leadership has placed global interfaith dialogue at the heart of its foreign engagement. The Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, launched in 2003, has become a signature platform bringing together leaders from Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other faiths for sustained dialogue.

7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions Group Photo by Secretariate of the 7th Congress

Palace of Peace and Reconciliation. Credit: Katsuhiro Asagiri

The upcoming 8th Congress, scheduled for September 17–18, 2025, in Astana, is expected to draw religious leaders, scholars, and policymakers from around the world.

Hosted at the iconic Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, the Congress reflects Kazakhstan’s role as a bridge between East and West and its commitment to promoting peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and dialogue.

This approach holds particular relevance in a world increasingly fractured by sectarian conflict and geopolitical tensions. Kazakhstan’s efforts to transform a history marked by division and repression into a model of inclusion and cooperation offer valuable lessons for the global community.

Such values were echoed by Pope Francis, who attended the 7th Congress in 2022. In his closing address, the pontiff stated, “Religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility or extremism, but instead become a beacon of hope for peace.” He emphasized the importance of interreligious dialogue and coexistence.

Semipalatinsk former Nuclear test site. Credit: Katsuhiro Asagiri

Kazakhstan is also confronting another grievous injustice from its Soviet past. From 1949 to 1989, 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, exposing more than one million people to radiation—an enduring tragedy. In response, post-independence Kazakhstan chose to voluntarily renounce the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal, making nuclear disarmament a cornerstone of its foreign policy.

This commitment to nuclear disarmament also extends to interfaith diplomacy. Since the 6th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in 2018, Kazakhstan has worked closely with Soka Gakkai International (SGI) of Japan and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), advancing a shared vision of peace, dialogue, and the abolition of nuclear weapons, grounded in the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons use and the testimonies of Hibakusha, while promoting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and deepening international cooperation.

A Group photo of participants of the regional conference on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and nuclear-free-zone in Central Asia held on August 29, 2023. Credit: Jibek Joly TV Channel

The ALZHIR Memorial itself continues to bear witness to the injustices of the past. Its preserved barracks and “Arch of Sorrow” leave a powerful impression on visitors.

Yet as this week’s remembrance ceremony and Kazakhstan’s ongoing interfaith efforts make clear, the country is determined to build a future grounded in tolerance, justice, and peace.

“Such injustices must never be repeated,” Tokayev affirmed—a principle that now informs both Kazakhstan’s domestic policies and its multi-vector diplomacy aimed at fostering dialogue and harmony on the international stage.

Katsuhiro Asagiri is the President of INPS Japan and serves as the director for media projects such as “Strengthening awareness on Nuclear Weapons” and SDGs for All” In 2024, he was honored with the “Kazakhstan Through the Eyes of Foreign Media” award, representing the Asia-Pacific region.

This article is brought to you by INPS Japan in collaboration with Soka Gakkai International in consultative status with ECOSOC.

IPS UN Bureau