How can a vinyl record be made in a way that is environmentally sustainable?

With the recent announcement that their album 'Moon Music' will be published on vinyl composed of recyclable plastic bottles, Coldplay seemed to have the solution. The British band claimed that the EcoRecord LP would be a "world first," preventing the production of more than 25 metric tons of virgin plastic and reducing carbon emissions by 85% when compared to conventional 140g vinyls. 90% of the plastic used to make CD copies will be recycled, resulting in 78% fewer emissions than with CDs manufactured the old-fashioned way. Moon Music, which is set to be released on October 4, will have a special "Notebook Edition" in which the environmental NGO The Ocean Cleanup has stopped 70% of the plastic from Rio Las Vacas, Guatemala, from entering the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Honduras.

Simple Motivation for the campaign: As Coldplay continues their historic Music of the Spheres world tour, which is currently the third-highest-grossing tour of all time, the campaign coincides with the band's efforts to lessen the environmental impact of touring.

Their History With Sustainability Goes Really Since Many Years  ~ 

Coldplay is considered a pioneer for sustainability in live entertainment. Le Soir's Didier Zacharie said that the ecological plans proposed by the band were unprecedented in stadium tour scale. In 2022, sustainability director Lucy August-Perna claimed they assisted with the framework Live Nation had been developing over the past five years and mentioned that the company is working with them to adopt their best methods, making sustainable touring options more accessible. Various publications subsequently noticed the band impacted concerts from Billie Eilish and Shawn Mendes, with similar green measures.

Furthermore, Coldplay's work with John Wiseman from Worldwide Sales and Frederic Opsomer from PRG Projects resulted in the creation of completely new LED stage products. Opsomer also defended that the custom technology made for the Music of the Spheres World Tour (2022–24) will be commonplace in the future, thanking Coldplay for the initiative. The band reduced its carbon footprint by 59%, compared to its previous tour. In 2023, Time listed them among the most influential climate action leaders in the world. They later helped fund a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study that will propose solutions for events across the entire live music industry.


(Source: Google Images)  

The nonprofit organization cleans up plastic debris that has accumulated in the oceans and uses interceptors to intercept trash in rivers before it reaches the ocean. Boyan Slat, the founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, said, "Coldplay is an amazing partner for us and I'm thrilled that our plastic catch has helped bring Moon Music to life. Our mission depends on ensuring that the plastic we gather never finds its way back into the maritime ecosystem. I'm eager to see how working with Coldplay and our other collaborators, we can innovate going forward to remove trash from the oceans collectively. These environmentally friendly vinyl manufacturing methods are a start in the right direction for the music industry, and Coldplay is not alone in pushing things forward with the likes of Massive Attack and Billie Eilish. Motivating fellow artists effortlessly!"