12 April 2024 - Canopy member Greg Cochrane appeared on BBC News this week commenting on Billie Eilish’s sustainability plans for her new album.
Greg, who runs sustainability-focused podcast company New Allotment and who presents revered podcast series Sounds Like a Plan (highlighting the role the music industry is playing in tackling the climate crisis), examined the pop star’s strategy and what impact it could have on wider discourse. Billie's new album, 'Hit Me Hard and Soft', has a groundbreaking sustainability plan with the aim of minimising environmental impact.
BBC News reported that its "Vinyl copies will be pressed on recycled or BioVinyl, with all the packaging made from recycled materials. Eilish will also use raw, plant-based ink and water-based dispersion varnish. Instead of shrink-wrap, the album sleeves will be 100% recycled and reusable."
Greg said this is a significant step: "We've seen examples of these type of releases before, but they've generally been limited releases or smaller batches, or from smaller artists," he told the BBC. "But a shift happens when an artist of Billie Eilish's popularity decides to adopt this – and not only adopt this, but also be transparent and vocal about her reasons for doing it."
Watch the news piece below.
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As part of Greg's ongoing projects as a music and climate journalist, he also trains musicians on how to communicate the climate and environmental crises, working to bridge the gap between popular culture and sustainability.
Greg wrote: "To talk about music in the climate and sustainability context is still relatively rare. The good news: it's slowly increasing. Sometimes – a lot of the time – it takes an artist of Billie's popularity to take these steps to make them heard. It's not just the practical merits of the decision, there's also value in the discourse and awareness this opens up. It normalises action and appeals to the fact the vast majority of us care.'
Connect with him, and read more on his thoughts about this news.