German media storage group Sonopress (Gütersloh; www.sonopress.de), a subsidiary of local music giant Bertelsmann (Gütersloh; www.bertelsmann.com), said it has developed a process to manufacture long-playing records (LPs) using recycled and recyclable PET instead of PVC, the traditional resin and source for the nickname “vinyl” for discs played on a turntable.

Sonopress said neither natural gas nor steam is needed to press the product, called the Eco Record, and in tests the energy savings were up to 85% when compared to the conventional process.

Jointly developed by SK Chemicals (Seongnam-si, South Korea; www.skchemicals.com) and its international distribution partner Biesterfeld (Hamburg, Germany; www.biesterfeld.com) after signing a memorandum of understanding with Sonopress, the records are reportedly pressed in an injection moulding machine with a clamping force of up to 300 t, the same process to Sonopress uses to make laser discs, CDs, and DVDs.

Sonopress CEO Sven Deutschmann said: “The test series were so encouraging that we have given the green light for extensive investment in the construction of an initial pilot line in the twelve-inch LP format. Life cycle analyses have shown that we can significantly reduce emissions of climate-damaging CO₂ with our new process.”

Sales of vinyl records peaked in the 1970s – in the US at just under 350 mn units in 1977 – before declining as the then-new format, CDs, took hold. Interest in the audio delivery medium has grown in recent years; Americans bought more than 43 mn vinyl albums last year, the highest figure since 1989.