From BioVinyl to recycled PVC: how vinyl records are becoming more sustainable
On the future of a classic
What do Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have to do with more sustainable plastic production? Their vinyl records provide the answer: instead of relying solely on conventional PVC, selected editions use recycled material or alternative raw materials. But how much of a difference does this make for the environment?
, an international study by the Music Climate Pact and the Vinyl Alliance, provides concrete figures on this. It shows that it is not only the material that determines a vinyl record’s carbon footprint, but also its manufacturing process.
At a glance
- BioVinyl partially replaces fossil-based raw materials with biogenic alternatives.
- Recycled PVC gives production waste a new lease of life.
- Energy-efficient manufacturing processes can reduce the carbon footprint.
BioVinyl: What exactly makes it ‘bio’?
Like a traditional vinyl record, BioVinyl is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The difference lies in the raw materials: during production, bio-based feedstocks such as bioethanol or used vegetable oils can partially replace fossil-based raw materials.
The mass balance method is often used in this process. Bio-based and fossil raw materials are processed together. The amount of bio-based raw material used is documented and allocated to specific product quantities on a calculation basis.
This means that a record marketed as BioVinyl does not have to contain exclusively physically bio-based PVC. Nor is it biodegradable.
This has an advantage for plastics processors: as the material is still chemically PVC, it can, in principle, be processed on existing machinery. Whether a specific formulation requires adjustments depends on the production process in question.
Where does a vinyl record’s carbon footprint come from?
It is not just the material that determines the carbon footprint. The ‘ ’ Sustainable Supplier Programme – Phase 1 Insights Report by the Music Climate Pact and the Vinyl Alliance shows that a conventional PVC record weighing 140 grams generates an average of 0.93 kilograms of CO₂ equivalents – including the packaging examined – up to the factory gate.
The largest sources of emissions are manufacturing (44 per cent) and raw materials (40.2 per cent). Together, they account for more than 80 per cent. Anyone wishing to reduce emissions must therefore tackle both areas.
For the study, ClimatePartner calculated 13 product carbon footprints from nine manufacturers. The results take into account raw materials, supplier transport and production up to the factory gate, but not the distribution, use and disposal of the vinyl record.
Just how climate-friendly is BioVinyl really?
BioVinyl sounds like it has a better carbon footprint. But the figures are not clear-cut.
In a comparison carried out as part of the international study, the raw material emissions from fossil-based and fully bio-attributed PVC initially differ by only around one per cent. It is only when the CO₂ absorbed by plants during their growth is taken into account that the calculations show a reduction of 82 per cent in raw material emissions and 40 per cent in the product’s total carbon footprint.
The catch: the study stops at the factory gate. What happens to the sequestered biogenic carbon at the end of the record’s life is not taken into account.
BioVinyl can therefore help to replace fossil-based raw materials. Whether, and to what extent, it improves the carbon footprint over the entire life cycle cannot be conclusively determined from these figures alone.
Recycled PVC: Every record is unique
Production offcuts are turned into new music: amongst others, the German manufacturer optimal media processes PVC offcuts into new vinyl records. This often results in random colour combinations. What would be considered a flaw in a single-colour record makes every pressing visually unique here.
Recycled PVC: Every record is unique
Production offcuts are turned into new music: the German manufacturer optimal media processes PVC offcuts into new vinyl records. This often results in random colour combinations. What would be considered a flaw on a single-colour record makes every pressing visually unique here. Ed Sheeran and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have also released such editions.
But what impact does recycling have on the carbon footprint? A model calculation from the international study shows that, with fully recycled PVC, the product’s CO₂ footprint could be reduced by around 16 per cent compared with a comparable version made from virgin material.
The actual extent of the reduction depends, amongst other things, on the origin and processing of the recycled material. This figure is a model calculation and not a measured average for vinyl records made from post-consumer recycled material.
Injection moulding instead of pressing: what role does the process play?
It is not only the plastic that can be modified, but also the way it is processed. Some manufacturers produce vinyl records from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using injection moulding rather than from PVC via pressing.
In the international study, the PET vinyl records examined generated an average of 0.54 kilograms of CO₂ equivalents up to the factory gate. Compared with the conventional pressing process, production required 62 per cent less electricity and did not require any additional fossil-fuel-based process heat.
However, the PET manufacturers examined used electricity sourced entirely from renewable energy. The difference cannot therefore be attributed solely to the plastic or the process.
Optimal Media has also completely switched its production at the pressing plant, in its full-service publishing print works, and in its distribution and warehouse logistics to electricity from renewable energy sources. Thanks to a new technological development in steam generation, vinyl record production can take place entirely without fossil fuels.
For the plastics industry, this example demonstrates how important the interplay between materials, machinery and energy supply is.
What can the plastics industry learn from this?
The vinyl record illustrates on a small scale what is crucial for more sustainable plastics production: alternative raw materials, effective recycling and energy-efficient processing.
The approach that achieves the best carbon footprint cannot be determined by the name of the material alone. What is crucial is the interplay between raw materials, production processes and energy supply – and taking the entire life cycle into account.
In this way, a musical classic becomes a vivid example of the circular economy.
Author: Natascha Mörs | K-Mag
Natascha Mörs has been writing about innovations and technological developments across various sectors for 20 years. For K-Mag, she explores sustainable trends, the latest innovations and future-oriented topics in the plastics and rubber industry.