‘EcoCD’ Developed Using 90% Recycled Polycarbonate — With WMG, Coldplay. Sonopress Partnering On the Effort

Photo Credit: Sonopress

Sonopress has developed a CD made from 90% recycled polycarbonate—sourced from post-consumer waste streams collected by non-profits like The Ocean Cleanup. This new EcoCD is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 78% and avoid the manufacture of more than five metric tonnes of virgin plastic.Coldplay’s Moon Music album that is being printed on reclaimed river vinyl will be the first album released on EcoCD. The vinyl version of Moon Music uses nine recycled PET-plastic bottles per 140g EcoRecord LP—reducing emissions there, too.

“We are excited to announce the launch of our latest product, the EcoCD,” Sonos Managing Director Sven Deutschmann told Digital Music News. “[EcoCD] is a pioneering, sustainable storage medium that protects the environment while offering top product quality. Our development of the EcoCD underlines our commitment to supporting the music industry in its efforts toward circularity and climate neutrality.”

Sonopress developed the EcoCD with strict sustainability criteria in mind after the success of its EcoRecord project. The base material for the CD is polycarbonate, 90% of which has been reclaimed from post-consumer recycled material. Only 10% of the starting material for these EcoCDs uses new fossil-based plastic. Deutschmann notes that the carbon footprint of this material is more than 70% lower than that of newly produced polycarbonate.EcoCD is produced on conventional injection molding machines, which R&D experts at Sonopress modified extensively to accommodate the recycled polycarbonate’s differing viscosity and other properties. “We are delighted to be making a contribution to sustainability with this new product and are thrilled that our customer Warner Music has decided, together with Coldplay, to release the band’s album as an EcoCD,” Deutschmann continues.

Coldplay’s album Moon Music is available for pre-order now with delivery expected in October 2024. Music collectors now have the choice between a reclaimed plastic vinyl or an EcoCD to support the band’s commitment to reducing their environmental footprint for merch and touring.