Music industry adopts green mind

Monday April 21, 2008
By Robert Ashton, Editor Music Week

Environmental report on emissions shows the music business can be key player in fight against climate change.

The first industry research on greenhouse gases shows the music business can play a leading role in helping the UK meet its targets for tackling climate change.

The UK Music Industry Greenhouse Gas Emissions report, commissioned by industry environmental group Julie’s Bicycle and launched at the Royal Geographic Society in London last Friday, shows the industry is equipped to deal with reducing its current 538,000 tonnes of carbon (CO2) emissions and can help set the agenda for other business sectors to improve energy use.

The research, by the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University, shows that because the music industry is primarily a service sector, its emissions from the sale of CDs, digital downloads and live music currently total a fairly modest 538,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.

Compared to other more fossilfuel-reliant industries, such as aviation, which pumps out a massive 8m tonnes of CO2, the music industry’s annual emissions are relatively small – equivalent to a town with a population of 54,000 or the emissions from 180,000 cars.

Among the music industry, the live music sector produces most emissions, with audience travel, lighting and other energy use contributing 401,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. With average greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the production of one CD album coming in at just 1kg of CO2, the recorded music, publishing, studios, manufacturing, packaging and distribution sectors produce just 138,300 tonnes of CO2 annually.