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How much carbon fits in an LP: the vinyl industry redoes the math

The record industry's first carbon report, in 2024, put an average vinyl record at about 1.15 kg CO2e and said bio-attributed PVC could cut that by around 44%; in May 2025 the Vinyl Alliance said that saving had been overstated. Product-level footprints published by the Music Climate Pact in June 2026 put a typical 140g PVC record at 0.93 kg CO2e, against 0.54 kg for injection-moulded PET and 0.38 kg with recycled PET. Avoiding air freight, choosing 140g black records and simple packaging remain the most reliable levers.

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A black vinyl record and plain paper sleeve on cork, with a leaf beside them.
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English summary. The full article, with every detail and quote, is published in Portuguese. Read the full article in Portuguese →

Sources

  1. The first Vinyl Record Industry Carbon Footprint Report — Vinyl Alliance. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  2. Vinyl Record Industry: First carbon footprinting report — VRMA e Vinyl Alliance. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  3. The Music Climate Pact publishes its Annual Report — Music Climate Pact. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  4. Music Climate Pact highlights areas of progress with labels' increasing focus on streaming impact — Music Week. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  5. Vinyl — Music Climate Pact. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  6. Key Production unveils Injection Moulded Records and Tiny Vinyl to drive the next generation of sustainability-focused physical music formats — Key Production. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  7. BioVinyl: Vinyl records made from bio-based PVC — optimal media. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  8. Evovinyl Launch: The World's First Bioplastic Vinyl LP Moves Into Commercialisation — Evolution Music. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  9. May 2026: Recognition, Connection and a Material Breakthrough — Evolution Music. Accessed 30 September 2026.
  10. PMC And EvoVinyl Nomination For Music Week Awards 2026 — Hifi Pig. Accessed 30 September 2026.

Written with AI assistance. Facts were checked source by source; the text had no human review: publication was authorised by the magazine's owner on 1 October 2026 (decision log, 2026-10-01T00:39:14-03:00).

Spotted an error? Write to contatopuressencia@gmail.com.

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