Changing Their Tune: The Resurgence of Vinyl Records and its Environmental Impact

by Rebecca Ding

The resurgence of vinyl records has projected a dangerous mindset regarding the expendability of resources and energy in music consumption.

Vinyl records’ bold revival has escalated the conversation surrounding its environmental impacts, begging the question of whether vinyl music consumption can be eco-friendly. How can our music consumption preferences contribute to our ecological footprint?

The ease of accessibility and convenience with new technologies, like CDs and tapes, drew music listeners away from the vinyl record boom of the 1960s-1980s. Since 2007, vinyl records slowly regained their public spotlight. Later in 2020, the pandemic bolstered its popularity tenfold. With a majority of present-day consumers from younger demographics, contemporary labels and artists are seeking solutions to make this trend more sustainable. This began with moving away from the traditionally toxic and harmful Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pressing.

Green Vinyl Records is innovative Dutch printing press founded and led by Harm Theunissel. Since 2015, it has taken the reins of modernizing vinyl technology through injection moulding machines using Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a durable and easily recyclable polymer resin that competes with PVC in sound and weight.

“You can take an old record player from your dad’s basement, and you can put our records on there. You don’t have to change anything, you don’t have to change the stylus. It is backwards compatible,” says Theunisse, who reveals how this green vinyl replacement can alleviate the “energy we are wasting, and the CO2 that is going up like crazy.”

In Green Vinyl’s factory, a real-time energy monitor system displays their total energy reduction at around 90%, surpassing their initial estimate of 60% reduction rate. Compared to traditional production, Green Vinyl has conserved 530 million kWh per year, which equals to 26.5 million less planted trees required to compensate for the CO2.

“This is the new standard of making the vinyls, because we’re not using a boiler,” Theunisse explains, “I’m not using any natural gas, I’m only using electricity.”

Evidently, it is necessary that the process of making environmentally friendly products is equally sustainable.

In vinyl pressing, the difference between the traditional 140g vinyls and 180g vinyls are often debated — thicker records, which is often argued to provide better sound quality, typically result in dirtier PVC production, increasing excess vinyls that are known as flash. .

“No, they don’t make a difference. In fact, you can go even thinner, but they do start to become a bit flimsy. In fact, there is some evidence that 140 might be better,” clarifies Peter Quicke, Chair of English independent record label Ninja Tune, who chooses to press in 140g, explaining how it is about making PVC in the most environmentally-friendly way possible.

Although Green Vinyls prints 180g vinyls, Theunisse claims their flash production is dramatically lower due to their innovative PET approach, “I only have 1 gram, [traditional vinyls] have 40 grams.”

Notably, due to the strict European Union environmental guidelines and protocols that restrict certain raw materials, eco-friendly printing is more accessible in Europe. Both companies, therefore, coexist in Europe alongside many other organizations taking initiative in greener approaches of manufacturing.

"PVC in Europe does not allow lead, whereas in the US they’re still using lead. In Europe, Tin is also not allowed…but the US is still using lead,” stresses Theunisse regarding the importance of avoiding harmful, yet easily accessible raw materials. Beyond the actual production of vinyls, Ninja Tune has also chosen to make all vinyl sleeves from sustainably sourced FSC card and paper, where many are easily recyclable.

“The shrink wrap we use is a bioplastic and comes from plants,” Quike elaborates regarding the ways the company reduces the footprint of the company.

Ninja Tune is a participant of a trade association known as the Association of Independent Music (AIM), which Quicke says, “persuaded universal Sony and Warner brothers to commit to Net 0 by 2030, which means a reduction of their footprint from vinyl manufacture.The methods are just gonna need pressure from their biggest customers, not just the medium-sized customers.”

“It has to be the energy of the artists and the labels that can make the difference,” Theunisse adds. Ninja Tune’s recent increase of sales raises philosophical questions regarding why the resurgence of vinyls came about and what makes the practice of tangible music so special from main-

-stream digital music. In response to the large Millenial and Gen Z consumer pool, Richard Grant of Rasputin Music, the largest independent chain record store in the San Francisco Bay Area founded in Berkeley, shares his theory as a passionate vinyl enthusiast.

“We're always gonna be in this style of beings,” says Grant. “We're never going to let go of what's old in us because we want to keep, that a lot of us want to keep, that youthful brand.” The attraction towards trends deemed “vintage” and “old school” can be viewed as a rising popularity in younger generations attempting to recreate the past through tangible and collectible assets. Inherent within human nature, people are interested in what is unfamiliar and uncommon to them. Similar to how Boomers or Gen X may find digital music and platforms new and fascinating, Millennials and Gen Z find vinyl records interesting because of its aesthetic and interactiveness. “I think maybe one day CDs will go hrough the same thing as vinyl,” hypothesiz-es Grant. Grant explains the significance behind vinyls as not only a form of tangible music its-

-elf with aesthetic values. It’s also a new found level of appreciation of the art on the album sleeves, the liner notes on the inner sleeves, the lyrics on the back, and occasional personalized messages written by the artists themselves.

"With streaming, you don't feel the emotion of the music… you click very fast either way,” says Theunisse. “But with the vinyl, you will have to go there, you listen to the whole.”

While vinyls are often compared with digital music and its ease of song selection, the use of algorithms to spotlight top hits and one’s favourite songs is of concern as research has suggested streaming may produce a larger carbon footprint than records itself.

“But I think nearly everyone who listens to vinyl will also stream, and people who do mainly streaming will sometimes buy vinyl,” says Quicke in regards to how vinyls and digital music need not to compete and can coexist.

A popular misconception people hold is digital music’s advanced sustainability against vinyls. In reality, behind the scenes of apparently eco-friendly streamings, are immense servers that are constantly releasing and wasting energy, gravely increasing our digital footprints.

Theunisse elaborates on the wasted energy of a typical digital service provider’s warehouse, “You're sweating while you walk, they have so much cooling in those warehouses and because the servers are always on there's a lot of energy wasted because so many songs are not played, but are still there.”

Digital music and vinyl playing can co-exist in our world. Having the awareness and wherewithal that each time you stream or listen to vinyl there are different types of footprints created, it is crucial for music listeners to approach their choices with intent. Most importantly, it is up to listeners to develop a sustainable yet enjoyable balance between the different forms of music and to find harmony within.

“You don't want to stop people from buying records or enjoying music, and you don't want to stop people going to gigs because it's part of the joys of life, we just have to find ways of doing it better” sums up Quicke.