Sustainability Heroes: Ninja Tune
To celebrate Earth Day, we're putting the spotlight on one of our favorite labels that make sustainability a priority, Ninja Tune. From climate neutral vinyl to net zero committments, Ninja Tune is leading the conversation on how the music industry can protect the planet.
If you don't know the label, NInja Tune, you will certainly know their roster. Ninja Tune hosts some of the biggest names in electronic music today and ever since the label was formed in 1990 by Matt Black and Jonathan More, the duo known as Coldcut. The label has celebrated multiple Grammy nominations and releases from such artists as Bonobo, Jayda G, Bicep, Floating Points, ODESZA, Tycho, and so many more. With such a roster and ground-breaking music, Ninja Tune has committed to pushing the boundaries of music while also pushing the music industry forward to impact our planet in only positive ways.
So what exactly is climate neutral vinyl? There are many arguments as to why the vinyl record industry in particular is not environmentally friendly. At Ninja Tune, most of their vinyl pressings are on 140 gram vinyl rather than 180 gram which helps to reduce the manufacturing and distribution footprint proportionately. And for all the audiophiles out there, Ninja Tune doesn't allow for any loss in sound quality by pressing on 140g vinyl. The end product is simply more sustainable and better for the planet. And vinyl isn't just single-use plastics that pollute the Earth, but rather long-lasting works of art.
On one such Ninja Tune release, Jayda G 's Both Of Us, the vinyl is pressed on 140g recycled lead-free calcium zinc based vinyl. The sleeve is produced from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified or recycled paper, printed with vegan ink, and includes no download code sticker or card. This record is climate neutral. It is this type of real world action that has allowed Ninja Tune to become carbon neutral by the end of 2021. Beyond that, their goal is to be carbon negative. They accomplish this by not only balancing their emissions or offsetting their manufacturing and distribution footprint by tree planting and rainforest protection, but because as an organization they understand that widespread change is necessary to further prevent impending weather, food, and water catastrophes that some areas in the world are already experiencing today.
There is much more that NInja Tune has done or continues to do to promote environmental sustainability. From their day to day operations balancing both their direct and indirect emissions to truly putting their money where their mouth is by holding funds with banks that invest only in sustainable projects, there are many more reasons why Ninja Tune deserves this spotlight. You can learn more about Ninja Tune's sustainability actions as well as read their carbon footprint report from the last 3 years here: Sustainability.
On this Earth Day 2022, the world is not at a crossroad in how the global community decides to combat climate change but we are rather in the cross-hairs of an irreversible ecological disaster. Ninja Tune may be but just one label trying to positively impact climate change, but as an organization that promotes not only a sustainable vinyl record industry but also the continuation of the vinyl record industry we can't help but stan.
