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Putting aside the PVC-free mosh pits and solar-powered concert tours and festivals that seemed to have sprung up like mushrooms over the past several years, the recording music industry has been working to shrink its environmental footprint as it addresses CD packaging. Downloading digital music might be considered the greenest move the music recording industry has made yet. Less packaging for CDs and no physical packaging for music downloading each have their own business argument as well.
Judging a CD by its Cover?
“For those artists and labels still shipping a physical product, we have seen important progress in the use of post-consumer recycled fiber as well as more and more uptake of virgin fiber coming from responsibly managed forest certified by the Forest Stewardship Council,” said Andrew Goldberg, director of corporate engagement for Dogwood Alliance, a non-profit watchdog group that works to reduce packaging and save Southern forests.
“This green shift is real,” Goldberg said. “Artists and fans are demanding it, and the music industry is there in the mix learning how to navigate these issues.”
Part of the problem in adopting greener CD packaging might actually come from too many green CD packaging choices. For example, there are over 30 different commercially available partial or completely paperboard CD packages. From CDs packaged totally in recycled cardboard to CDs sold in lighter, greener plastics, the lack of common standards means that it isn’t always easy for consumers or businesses to see at a glance which CDs use green packaging.
So far, companies are setting their own standards. In 2007, Warner Music Group introduced the WMGreen initiative, converting all regular CD and DVD products to a minimum of 30 percent post-consumer paper packaging. To date, the move has saved 9,400 tons of wood and nearly 4,000,000 pounds of solid waste. Warner Music Group uses paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
“Environmentally responsible behavior is good for corporate America,” said John Esposito, president and CEO of WEA Corp., Warner Music Group’s U.S. sales and retail marketing company. “It’s smart ecology and smart economics. For Warner Music Group, it has proven to lower the cost of paper procurement and waste as well as strengthening employee morale because they feel a part of this larger effort.”
| Making Music Packaging Greener (for acts from Al Green to Green Day) |
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Less is more. Less plastic and less paper in CD packaging means more trees and natural resources saved. Less weight means more money saved in shipping. Not all “eco” CD packaging is created equal. Look for the highest percentage of post consumer recycled paper and soy based inks. Soy based inks make recycling easier, release fewer toxins than traditional petroleum-based inks, and come in brighter colors. Getting your new music from legal sites online can be a great way to get your music with no new packaging at all. Many up-and-coming bands offer digital tracks for free on their Web sites or Myspace pages. Think before you rip a CD to back up your music. Backing up your computer is a great idea, but wasting CDs is not. One of the environmental arguments against digital music is all the e-waste created by computers, cell phones, blank CDs and mp3 players. Upgrading your current system and recycling your old technologies are musts. |
“Additionally, WMGreen has resonated with our artists who have embraced our efforts and expressed their appreciation for taking on this leadership role within the music industry. In some cases, they have said that it has inspired them to take a more active role in being environmentally conscious,” Esposito said.
Interestingly, it is the music industry, artists, and retailers that are moving CD packaging in a greener direction, with consumers taking a back seat. Unlike the touring side of the music industry where concertgoers expect recycling and green options, packaging doesn’t necessarily drive consumers; they care about what’s in the packages—the music.
Rod Streeper is the customer operations director at Entertainment Distribution Company (EDC), one of the world's largest CD duplicator facilities. He also leads the Sustainable Packaging Committee's effort at the digital media trade association CDSA. “There are two real big pushes in the music industry to put out environmentally friendly packaging,” Streeper said. “First is a directive at the retail level, led by Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is looking for environmentally friendly CD packaging. The second push is by individual artists and bands.”
Streeper reported that the use of eco-friendly packaging has grown dramatically over the past five years, and that well over a third of the CDs EDC produces are eco-friendly, including CDs packaged using 30 percent lighter clear plastic and thin paper stock.
