Though streaming accounts for most of our music consumption, sales of vinyl records have been on the rise for a few years now. But the plastic used to create them is bad news for the enviro-conscious listener. A UK startup is hoping to change that by pressing for plant-based alternatives.
Nearly 50 million vinyl albums were sold in the US during 2023, an increase of 14.2% on the previous year. Evolution Music reckons that global production of around 180 million units at 140g standard grade would account for some 30,000 tonnes of PVC used in their manufacture every year.
In the great scheme of things that's probably not a great deal of new plastic entering the marketplace, but it could be reduced to zero. That's thanks to five years of research and development to create EvoVinyl, which is predominantly made from sugarcane (plus a few "natural mineral binders" and coloring), though future plans call for sourcing ingredients from organic, regenerative agriculture.
Other than a switch of base material, records can still be produced using existing equipment, but it could save manufacturers time and money thanks to the bioplastic compound requiring lower temperatures for pressing. "Testing to date has shown a 30% energy saving if a plant switches entirely to this product,"said company CEO of Evolution Music, Marc Carey. "And it takes 50% less time to press a record, so big energy savings are possible."
Any waste from the process can be reused to make so-called "regrind LPs" that boast the same quality as virgin material. And though vinyl records are often considered treasured items by collectors, any EvoVinyl albums that do end their lives in the trash could be recycled instead, or broken down at an industrial composting facility. In another tick for the plus column, they're also likely to be wrapped in "plant-friendly packaging."
The company says that vinyl lovers won't have to invest in a new turntable, and testing has found that the material is less prone to static so could potentially be less of a dust magnet – which your stylus will appreciate.
As for sound quality, test pressings have been assessed by veteran music producer Rob Cass "who was speechless when he learnt that it was made entirely from plants." Peter Thomas (pictured above) from high-end loudspeaker manufacturer PMC says that EvoVinyl's "performance is indistinguishable from traditional vinyl."
PMC recently injected some cash into the enterprise to kickstart the move to marketplace availability. "Our main driver is a genuine concern for the environment," said Thomas. "It is not greenwashing, but a real desire to try and do something to remove PVC from our industry. We’re also going to be looking at this technology to see if we can use it to replace the plastic parts in PMC loudspeakers."
A couple of limited production runs for Earth Day have included contributions from REM's Michael Stipe, Coldplay, Brian Eno, HER, Robert Smith and Nile Rodgers. Major record labels are reported to be champing at the bit (with one promising to move its entire production over to the new material), and the number of artists keen to get onboard the eco train is growing fast.
What started as an in-house project to make music production at Carey's Roulette Records more sustainable is now on the cusp of transforming the industry, and Carey recently confirmed that Evolution Music is also looking to investigate sustainable alternatives to plastics used in other formats, such as CDs.
"Evolution Music, which is an offshoot of Roulette Records, is fundamentally a R&D company," Carey told podcaster Saskia Menendez last month. "We realized that there's a need in the industry for a dedicated independent R&D platform, and we're looking at everything. Nothing's out of scope for us right now."
Sources: Evolution Music, PMC
