He released the world's first bioplastic record

The British Evolution Corporation has produced the world's first bio-vinyl disc record, opening hope to help reduce the need for Polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

The British Evolution Corporation has produced the world's first vinyl bio-recording disc. (Photo: Reuters)

Bioplastics are derived from sugar and starch, not oil or gas, and do not generate any harmful waste during production. Evolution's new vinyl bioplastic has received the backing of the non-governmental organization Music Declares Emergency (MDE), a climate change activist group founded in 2000 by artists and music industry experts. 2019.

MDE co-founder Lewis Jamieson asserts that if Evolution can provide a non-toxic vinyl, it will completely eliminate one of the music industry's major polluters.

Currently all vinyl records are made from PVC. Greenpeace considers this to be the most environmentally damaging plastic. The production of PVC releases harmful chlorine-based chemicals, which accumulate in water, air and the food chain. The issue has come to the fore when vinyl sales surpassed the $1 billion mark last year in the US alone (for the first time since the mid-1980s). Video companies have tried to secure PVC supplies by partnering with foreign firms with poor safety records.

According to author Kyle Devine of the book "Decomposed" on the impact of the music industry on the environment, PVC is a plastic that is difficult to handle, recycle and decompose. and digital music as a solution to the industry's impact on the climate, he said, digital data still takes up space and uses energy. Music has seriously affected the environment.

Evolution released the first 20 discs made from bioplastics through an award draw event – ​​attended by young artists, including American singer Angel Olsen. Prior to that, testing had taken nearly five years due to delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Evolution claims it has come close to the quality of conventional recordings. The only downside is the noise coming from the surface when playing the recording. The company expects it to take another two weeks to complete the product.

MDE says changing the recipe for vinyl records won't help the climate change picture much, but such innovations also play a symbolic role.