Warner Music, GZ Media Pilot Recycled Vinyl Testing

Warner Music Group and GZ Media, the Czech Republic pressing plant that claims to be “the world’s largest producer of vinyl records,” have completed a pilot proving that unsold records can be reprocessed and incorporated into new vinyl pressings without compromising audio quality.

The testing:

• 10,000 unsold records sourced across artists, titles, and pressing plants were shredded.

• Multiple pressing variants of records were then pressed using recycled content ratios ranging from 10-100%.

• Blind listening evaluations were coordinated with Abbey Road Studios, with industry experts assessing the pressings without knowing which material blends they were hearing.

• The results showed that recovered material can be incorporated into new, commercial-grade pressings without compromising sound quality and production standards.

• Notably, the 25% recycled/75% virgin blend of vinyl rated highest in audio quality, better even than the 100% virgin control pressing.

Environmental benefits:

• The project evaluated the environmental impact of reprocessing unsold vinyl records, considering additional steps such as transport, warehousing, sorting and shredding.

• Modeling indicated the potential for carbon emissions reductions of over 10% compared to a virgin material baseline under the conditions assessed.

What they said:

• Miles Showell, Mastering Engineer, Abbey Road: “Vinyl listeners care deeply about sound quality, so the standards for this project were always high. What impressed me was how consistent the pressings were across the different material blends, showing that sustainability and sound quality do not have to be at odds.”

• Vladimír Víšek, Head of Sustainability, GZ: “Sustainability and quality must go hand in hand. For more sustainable products to be adopted across the industry, it’s important they deliver the same level of quality and performance as standard products. We hope this project provides a foundation the industry can continue to build on as it explores more resource-efficient pathways for vinyl production.”