A New Zealand record pressing plant is leading the charge on sustainability, using a new raw product that reduces the carbon footprint of vinyl record manufacturing by an estimated 92%.
Polyvinyl chloride (or PVC) has been the standard material used to make records for decades. But now, as the medium's popularity continues to grow and artists look to reduce their emissions, that might change.
Kiwi pressing company, Holiday Records, was now taking orders for "biovinyl" – which it had been testing for a manufacturer over the past year.
The material replaced fossil fuel-based PVC with used cooking oil and industrial gasses — and these ingredients also meant the records were 100% recyclable.
"We are producing one of the most sustainable vinyl records on the planet at the moment," Holiday Records’ Joel Woods told Breakfast.
Bio-vinyl's the latest innovation being used by Auckland company Holiday Records, Simon Mercep reports. (Source: 1News)
He said the records sound “amazing” and “exactly the same” as PVC.
Overseas companies — such as Evolution Music in the UK, with its "evovinyl" — have been offering more environmentally-friendly options for more than a year.
Woods said interest was continuing to climb and Holiday Records has had “lots of inquiries” about biovinyl from around the world.
“You’ll be struggling to find an artist or a label that isn’t trying to reduce their impact on the environment.
“This biovinyl is really shifting the dial to have an opportunity to do so.”
Woods said: "Hopefully, this shift will be industry-wide in the near future."
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