Other than being used as coasters, there’s little else to do with your older, less valuable vinyl records than throwing them out. The problem is that this is not great for the environment. With sales of vinyl records continuing to increase, now is certainly the time to figure out how they can be manufactured more responsibly. That is why companies are looking for other materials that can be used. Traditionally, vinyl records contain heavy metals, black carbon, plastics, and other toxic materials.

In the Netherlands, a group of eight companies known as Green Vinyl Records are using alternative vinyl compounds to make records. They use injection molding to speed up the manufacturing process before each record is stamped. Compared to the pressing of records with steam, injection molding saves on both time and energy. Part of the problem is that it is hard to get record manufacturers to change over to a more environmental product. After decades of making vinyl records a certain way, it’s hard to get companies to change their minds. Some are skeptical that the precious vinyl sound will be lost or changed. As Matt Earley, vice president of sales and marketing for Gotta Groove Records said in a recent article: “PVC is a very stable plastic with an extremely low flammability and low static charge, so it has always been the ideal material for records.”

In case you’re wondering why go through the trouble of creating a new form of vinyl records, when the existing albums can just be recycled, the answer has a lot to do with cost. Yes, vinyl is made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and can be broken down and recycled. But creating a new product out of PVC can be as much as five times cheaper than creating a recycled PVC product.

Enjoy your favorite tunes on a modern record console.

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