Eco-Vinyl to Bio-Vinyl

As awareness grows about plastic pollution and carbon emissions, more artists and labels are looking for ways to make their records more sustainable. To support that, we offer Eco-Vinyl (recycled PVC) and Bio-Vinyl, alongside standard PVC.

Eco-Vinyl reuses production waste and supports a circular economy, while Bio-Vinyl replaces crude oil with bio-based compounds — lowering the CO₂ emissions of a record.

This guide explains how each material affects the price, quality, and sustainability of your records — so you can choose the option that reflects your vision, budget, and values.

Eco-Vinyl is made by reusing production waste, rejected records, and leftover material from previous orders. Instead of sending this plastic to landfill, it’s ground back into granules and pressed again into new records.

This approach supports circular production, reducing the demand for virgin PVC and cutting overall waste. Even a small factory like ours could send a huge amount of plastic to landfill if it weren’t recycled — so reusing it makes a real difference.

While black recycled vinyl looks identical to standard black records, colored recycled vinyl may show slight tone variations — small speckles or marbled effects that make each copy unique. Unlike other plants that mix all colors together, we recycle color by color, maintaining a full palette of clean, recycled colors in stock.

In terms of sound, Eco-Vinyl performs almost identically to standard PVC. It may have slightly more background noise in some cases, but the difference is minimal and mostly aesthetic — playback quality remains virtually the same.

Bio-Vinyl is the next step toward reducing the carbon footprint of record production and supporting cleaner materials for the long run. Unlike standard PVC, which is made entirely from fossil fuels, Bio-Vinyl uses bio-based compounds that replace crude oil in the production process.

On average, Bio-Vinyl reduces CO₂ emissions by around 38% compared to standard PVC, while maintaining a lifespan of up to 75 years — matching the longevity of traditional records.

The composition of the record remains the same, ensuring identical sound quality, appearance, and durability. In additional to being fully recyclable, Bio-Vinyl also tends to accumulate less static electricity, resulting in cleaner playback and less dust on your records.

The result is a record that looks, feels, and sounds exactly like traditional vinyl — just made with a cleaner input.

Both options reduce the environmental impact compared to standard PVC — the difference lies in where they make that impact.

Eco-Vinyl focuses on circularity: reusing existing material and preventing plastic from going to landfill. It’s the best option if you want a sustainable, cost-effective solution.

Bio-Vinyl targets carbon reduction at the source by replacing fossil-based compounds with renewable ones. It offers the same sound quality visual consistency and durability as virgin PVC but with a cleaner, future-proof material.

At Green Lakes Pressing, we aim to make vinyl production cleaner and more sustainable for the long run. That’s why we recycle every offcut and rejected record, sort and reuse materials, and offer Bio-Vinyl as a cleaner alternative.

Sustainability isn’t a fixed formula — it’s about making informed choices that balance design, cost and environmental impact. Whether you choose recycled or bio vinyl, you’re contributing to a more circular and responsible music industry.

Thinking to release on vinyl as sustainably as possible?  Reach out to us — we’re happy to help you plan your next release.