So, in no particular order, but grouped instead in terms of general approach, here are the ‘eco-vinyl’ contenders.
Green Vinyl/Sonopress
First up are Green Vinyl and Sonopress. Both of these use a PET (polyester)-based compound as opposed to PVC plus additives. Despite also being oil-based, it offers a number of environmental advantages. Its melting point is lower, meaning that it takes much less energy to press, while it also has fewer associated health-related issues and is easily recyclable. Its real weakness is that it cannot be used in a conventional press and requires completely different machinery to produce records. Green Vinyl were the first to offer the PET alternative, but owing – one suspects – to the associated costs, Sonopress (a major CD and LP producer) created their own PET-based system. It was this latter system that was used to produce the ‘eco-vinyl’ pressings of the Gallagher and Squire LP.
Biovinyl
Biovinyl and (the perhaps intentionally, almost identically named) Biovyn. These two (apparently) similar materials are produced by petro-chemical giants PlastChem and Ineos respectively and use an organic base material (processed wood fibres?) in a PVC-type production process. The producers have coined the phrase ‘bio-attributed’ to describe this – an excellent example of how value-laden terminology can be (mis)appropriated in a situation like this. So, although these materials avoid the issues with oil-based production, they still embody the other energy and process related concerns with conventional PVC-based compounds. The cynical amongst you might conclude that the advantages offered by these alternatives do more for the producer than they do for the environment. They do, however, offer the benefit of working in conventional presses.
Evovinyl
Evovinyl – the material that first got me involved in this convoluted story – is the only non-PVC bioplastic option on the market. What’s a bioplastic. A polymer material produced from a non-fossil-fuel base – such as starch, biomass or vegetable oils. That isn’t necessarily the huge difference it might seem: fossil-fuels are, after all, simply fossilized bio-mass. So, for instance, whether or not a product is biodegradable depends on its chemical construction rather than its source material. Likewise, the production of bioplastics isn’t without its own environmental implications. As is so often the case, the potential benefits lie in how the process CAN be carried out rather than in the collective category itself.
Their production can result in lower greenhouse gas emissions, and biodegradable or readily recyclable product – or not. But, bioplastics do have one undeniable advantage: they don’t depend on scarce fossil-fuel resources.
Intended for use in conventional presses, Evovinyl is already being used for short run pressings, as the manufacturer works with the pressing plants to optimise the process and results. Like any material, it has its own specific mechanical and thermal characteristics that need to be taken into consideration, but that process is well under way and runs of up to 5000 discs are already planned.
Recycled Vinyl
Finally, there’s recycled vinyl. Given the increase in the recycling of plastics in general, it should be no surprise that recycled PVC is available to be reprocessed (with the necessary additives) for the pressing of records. This is the option taken by Ms. Eilish. On the face of it, this might seem like the most attractive option of all, based on the fact that it uses pre-existing PVC. However, it ain’t quite that simple. Most of the recycled vinyl used actually comes from waste generated in the pressing process itself, simply fed back into the incoming PVC stream. In practice, it constitutes as little as 10% of the total throughput, so its impact is considerably smaller than you might assume. In some ways, it’s more a case of topping up, as opposed to replacing, existing PVC production – or simply making (slightly) better use of the PVC that is produced.
