Coldplay takes sustainable music to new heights with eco-friendly vinyl

Coldplay says they strive to make the most eco-friendly album yet with their newly-revealed 10th record, Moon Music.

Coldplay continues to lead the charge in making rock music more sustainable with the release of their latest album, Moon Music, on environmentally-friendly vinyl and CD formats.

Each vinyl copy of the album will be pressed onto discs made from nine plastic bottles recovered from consumer waste, while a special “notebook” edition will be comprised of 70% river plastic sourced from the Rio Las Vacas in Guatemala.

Significant Environmental Impact

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The band’s innovative approach to vinyl production will significantly reduce carbon emissions and reliance on virgin plastic.

According to the band, this initiative will reduce carbon emissions by 85% and prevent the manufacture of more than 25 metric tonnes of virgin plastic. Coldplay has been at the forefront of the movement to make rock music more sustainable.

Previous Sustainability Efforts

In 2021, the band announced a comprehensive plan to cut the carbon footprint of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour by implementing measures such as solar-powered lights and sustainable aviation fuel. These efforts resulted in a 59% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to their previous tour.

The Environmental Impact of Vinyl

The resurgence of vinyl records has seen sales reach a 20-year peak of 5.9 million units in the UK last year. However, the production of traditional vinyl records, which are made from PVC (a by-product of the oil industry), poses significant environmental challenges.

PVC can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill. Researchers at Keele University estimate that vinyl records typically contain around 135g of PVC material, contributing to a carbon footprint of 0.5kg of carbon dioxide per record.

Industry-Wide Efforts

Coldplay’s commitment to sustainability mirrors efforts by other artists to reduce their environmental impact. Artists such as Billie Eilish, Idles, Brent Faiyaz, and Holly Humberstone have all experimented with using recycled or eco-vinyl.

In 2019, Mercury Prize-nominated singer-songwriter Nick Mulvey released his single “In The Anthropocene” on “ocean vinyl,” made from plastic recovered by beach-combing in the south of the UK.

Eco-Friendly CD Format

In addition to their eco-friendly vinyl, Coldplay will release CD editions of Moon Music on a new format called EcoCD, which is made from 90% recycled plastic. This new format boasts a 78% reduction in emissions compared with traditional CD manufacturing processes.

Pioneering a Sustainable Future

Coldplay’s innovative use of recycled materials for their album releases highlights the potential for the music industry to adopt more sustainable practices.

By setting a precedent for eco-friendly production, the band hopes to inspire other artists and industries to follow suit, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future for all.