[Update: May 30, 2025] At the Vinyl Alliance, we remain committed to transparency, independent inquiry, and promoting access to high-quality environmental data. The first carbon footprint report for the record pressing industry represented a valuable starting point—providing early insights into the environmental footprint of record manufacturing at the company / corporate level.
As understanding of best practices in carbon accounting continues to evolve, we have revisited aspects of the original analysis and identified areas where methods can be strengthened to reflect the most up-to-date and internationally recognized standards (1). Notable areas for improvement include the focus upon product level impacts as opposed to company level impacts and validation of supplier level data. Specifically this has highlighted that the potential carbon saving of using bio attributed PVC at the product level has been overstated and could potentially mislead the reader.
To help support individual companies in navigating this complex space, the Vinyl Alliance has convened a voluntary Sustainability Steering Group composed of independent experts and advisors from across the music and manufacturing ecosystems. In collaboration with the Music Climate Pact, we are supporting a new initiative to develop a series of peer-reviewed product carbon footprint analyses.
This work will be conducted by qualified third parties using established methodologies and is intended to serve as a resource for any organization interested in deepening its understanding of product-level impacts. Findings will be made publicly available this summer, offering a transparent reference point for sustainability considerations—without prescribing specific materials, technologies, or commercial decisions.
Our shared goal is to promote informed, data-driven decision-making that enables continued innovation and environmental progress across the vinyl sector.
(1)- GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard
The report can be read and downloaded in full HERE.