Climate change and plastic pollution: what is the music industry doing about it?
We all know about the pandemic’s catastrophic impact on live music and events. With many artists and industry professionals losing one of their main sources of income, it’s perhaps understandable that in the short term the questions around how to reduce the impacts of climate change and plastic pollution have not necessarily been at the forefront of thinking in the music industry. It’s crucial, however, that as the world takes the slow walk back to normality, everyone involved in music turns their attention to how they can help to halt the environmental crisis that we face.
Boris Johnson claims that the UK is a global leader in tackling plastic pollution, but as Greenpeace’s latest online advert suggests, in reality Britain dumps 1.8 million kilograms of plastic on other countries every day with devastating effects on local people and wildlife. Banning single-use plastic items such as straws and stirrers helps, but more needs to be done given the pressing timeframe. We can’t rely on our government to commit to the level of positive actionable change needed, so as one of the leaders of the global music industry it’s up to figures in UK music to do more. I recently learned that there is only one ‘Head of Sustainability’ role in the UK music industry. Compare this to UK Fashion, or UK Tech and it’s clear we’re behind where we need to be.
That said, what is the music industry doing right so far?
Schemes to reduce single-use plastics at festivals and events have proved to be a major success so far. Live music would cease to exist without the passion and revenue provided by fans, but they’re also the greatest polluter in terms of plastics - California’s Coachella Festival, for example, welcomes approximately 100,000 festival-goers per day and can produce thousands of tonnes of waste. But through a combination of fans becoming more and more conscientious and clear incentives to reduce or reuse plastic, improvements are being made. The BYOBottle campaign took off, and festivals who provide branded reusable cups (which you pay a deposit for on arrival and use for the festival’s duration) have helped to reduce plastic use dramatically. We Love Green festival in France, for instance, installed ninety drinking water taps which prevented the use of 154,000 single-use plastic water bottles, a strategy that won awards for its innovation in sustainability. Microplastics like glitter and confetti have also been banned - with 60+ UK Music Festivals banning the material in 2018 - which puts an onus on buying more eco-friendly makeup if festival-goers need a glow up before watching their favourite bands.
Glastonbury Festival remains a leader when it comes to forward-thinking, ecologically-minded projects and strategies. In 2019 they built the Gas Tower, the first ever stage made entirely from recycled ocean plastic using ten tonnes of marine litter from over 70 locations in the South West of England. An impressive statement of intent to exhibit the possibilities with recycled plastics.
And away from events, I am working with a forward thinking UK record label to explore the opportunity to use 100% recycled plastic for records rather than vinyl. Scaled up, this could represent a huge shift in how music is physically manufactured, as the technology to upcycle plastic is becoming more readily available. There are now fully mobile plastic upcycling factories that are deployable anywhere in the world and can process up to 1095 tonnes of mixed plastic waste per year, upcycling waste plastic into new materials like a durable, non-porous plywood. Could manufacturers of musical instruments use this plywood alternative? It has the capacity to have a positive impact on both plastic pollution and deforestation. If major players like Fender or Gibson pledged to introduce guitars made from recycled materials, for instance, it could be a real gamechanger. Even using exclusively recycled plastics for plectrums could make a difference.
Crucially, artists are using their voices to drive change. Music Declares Emergency is a collective of music industry professionals, organisations and artists (including Brian Eno, Annie Lennox, Arcade Fire, Billie Eilish, Jarvis Cocker, and The 1975) who are together pushing for the government to declare a climate emergency, reverse biodiversity loss and reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2030, and acknowledge the environmental impact of music industry practices whilst committing to taking urgent action.
Banding together and pushing the government is necessary and commendable and it brings visibility to important issues. But prominent musicians pledging their allegiance to climate campaigns when their carbon footprints can seem excessive doesn’t always chime well with the average citizen. That’s not to say that whataboutery should get in the way of promoting positive messages, but consideration needs to be given to how to engage with fans on these matters rather than appearing to be preaching to them.
Music Declares Emergency’s message - ‘No Music On A Dead Planet’ - is crystal clear, but will it make any headway? We’ll have to watch closely, and encourage the rest of the music industry to commit to the vast amount of work still to do.
