Is there a sustainable solution to the glut of vinyl records?
Is there a sustainable solution to the glut of vinyl records?
Since the epidemic started, there has been a backlog in the vinyl sector, which means that artists and sure music listeners must wait an average of a year to get their recordings.
The demand for albums is at its greatest level ever globally, yet most facilities are still pressing records using techniques popular in the 1980s.
A Dutch company, though, claims to have a more expensive and long-term answer to the backlog.
Furthermore, it does so without the substance that gives vinyl its name. It is the “new norm” for the business, according to Harm Theunisse, proprietor of Green Vinyl Records in Eindhoven.
Theunisse added that “this machine can accomplish about 40% greater capacity than the existing plants.”
“This pressing is quicker and better for the environment.” According to Greenpeace, the Eindhoven machine does not use PVC, the material that gave vinyl its name and is the most harmful to the environment.
Instead, it makes use of polyethylene terephthalate (Pet), a more resilient and readily recyclable material.
Theunisse stated that he wants to take action to make it possible for future generations to listen to vinyl without being concerned about the environment. He stated, “It’s for the kids.” “The globe is becoming hotter,”
Due to a rise in popularity that coincided with supply chain issues during the Covid epidemic, the demand for vinyl is presently projected to be 700 million records per year globally.
The large factories are forced to decline orders
Record Industry’s CEO Ton Vermeulen remarked, “It’s good to have such a full order book.” Record Industry is a vinyl manufacturing business in Haarlem, close to Amsterdam.
However, he claims that there are problems with consumers “always over- or under-ordering.”
When a new record is released, they first order 1,000 copies, but by the time they receive them, they already require 1,500.
Vermeulen’s business has been producing Painstaking Vinyl since 1957, and the company takes pleasure in employing the same 33 presses that have been scrupulously maintained.
A metal master disc is first transformed into a stamper. The machine then melts and presses the PVC pellets that have been fed into it into the mold.
For the three big labels, Sony, Universal, and Warner Music, the audio was created and packaged; These contracts have been in effect for a long time.
Record Industry, a producer of vinyl, also tries to care for the environment by recycling trash and using solar energy.
What does its boss think about record pressing in the future becoming more ecologically friendly?
Hey, can you press records from the plastic from the ocean? I’ve had calls like that, said Mr. Vermeulen. We might attempt that, and it may appear to be a record, but if it needs to sound like a typical album, that’s when we run into trouble. It is “difficult” to maintain the product’s current level of quality, he claims.
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