From the travelling of punters and touring artists, to the plastic consumption in nightclubs and festivals, all the way to the production of equipment and physical music, it’s fair to say that the music industry isn't the most environmentally friendly. A report from Powerful Thinking back in 2016, for example, showed that British music festivals alone produce 23,500 tonnes of waste, use five million litres of fuel and have CO2 emissions of almost 20,000 tonnes every year — and festivals have only grown in number and size since.
Those in the industry aren’t unaware of its footprint though, and changes are constantly being made to improve. Counting A-Trak, Jamie Jones, Lauren Flax, Louisahhhh and Soul Clap among its ambassadors, organisation DJs For Climate Action encourages artists to use their art and cultural influence to provoke response and raise awareness regarding climate change. This year saw London clubs The Pickle Factory and Oval Space became the first in the capital to go 100% plastic-free, scrapping all non-recyclable bottles, cups, and even wristbands, in favour of eco-friendly alternatives. And international event promoters Live Nation also pledged that five of the UK’s biggest festivals — Download, Latitude, Leeds, Reading and Wireless — will be plastic-free by 2021.
One arm of the industry that’s often overlooked in terms of environmental impact, however, is the manufacture and distribution of physical releases. 4.2 million vinyl albums were sold in the UK alone in 2018, an increase of 1.6%, or an additional 100,000 sales, from 2017. 35,000 cassette tapes were also sold in the six-month period at the start of 2019, which is almost double the 18,000 that were sold between January and June of 2018. The increase in sales means an increase in production, and the production of both of these physical formats is a largely damaging process.
When it comes to vinyl production specifically, each stage of the meticulous process is harmful. The fossil fuel, crude oil, is extracted from limited sources in the ground, refined and processed into PVC granulate — the material that your standard vinyl is made from. The typical black colour of vinyl is derived from carbon black, a by-product from the burning of petroleum substances like tar. Studies from professors and other qualified professionals estimate that we have around 50 years until all fossil fuel sources are depleted, and although we can use alternatives, fossil fuels are ultimately irreplaceable.