First of its kind report released on carbon impact of vinyl industry

The Vinyl Record Manufacturers Association and the Vinyl Alliance have released a report highlighting the carbon footprint of the vinyl industry.

Name as the ‘First Carbon Footprinting Report’, it breaks down the different stages of vinyl production and how each one adds to the carbon footprint of a record.

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The report investigates what it calls the ‘cradle-to-factory gate’ footprint of a vinyl record, which stands at around 1.15kg CO2e. 50% of these emissions come from the PVC compound used in the pressing of the records, with a further 30% from “energy consumption at the factory”, and 13% from the print packaging such as jackets and sleeves.

However these figures do not include the emissions based on the distribution of such records, a process which adds significant levels of carbon, which, “airfreighted from Europe to America (or vice versa) would add another 1.36 kg CO2e to the footprint. Air freight from Europe to Australia would add 3.46 kg CO2e per record.”

The relative impact of a vinyl record compared with a number of other tasks is listed on a graph, which lists it above other carbon-producing activities such as a laundry load, or producing a pint of cow’s milk, however listed below eating an 8oz steak.

The report outlines five steps to significantly reduce a record’s carbon impact, which are: eliminating air freight, switching to a “bio-attributed” PVC compound, pressing on a lighter 140g, keeping packaging simple, and switching to zero-carbon energy.

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Also listed are ways that record buyers can reduce their environmental impact, by supporting the second-hand market, and looking out for vinyls made with bio-attributed PVC.

Implementing such measures would increase the burden on the already struggling vinyl industry, however a recent study by Key Production found that 69% of vinyl buyers would buy more wax if it was sustainably produced, with a further 77% saying they would be willing to pay a premium for reduced impact records.

Check out the full report here.

Jamaal Johnson is a freelance writer, follow him on Instagram