Leading music companies commit to reducing carbon footprint as part of a wide-ranging commitment to ‘decarbonise’ the global music business in alignment with the latest climate science. The Music Climate Pact has been initiated by the UK’s Association of Independent Music (AIM) in collaboration with the BPI. The founding Signatories of the pact span numerous areas of the music business and include all three major music groups – Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group – as well as world-renowned independents Beggars Group, BMG, Brownswood Recordings, Ninja Tune, Secretly Group, Warp and others.
By February 2022, founding Signatories will be required to sign up to one of two schemes, the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) or the UN-backed Race to Zero SME Climate Commitment. This will see Signatories work with experts to set and execute actionable climate targets on which they will report regularly.
The Pact, developed with support from the UN Environmental Programme, marks a significant step in aligning the global music business, and the measures already taken by individual companies, around a coherent and industry-co-ordinated strategy. This will seek to unite and take forward existing climate initiatives.
For some Signatories, this could include AIM’s Climate Action Group, the Group’s Near-Mint Vinyl initiative to reduce vinyl waste, and IMPALA’s Carbon Calculator – an upcoming tool for the independent music sector. Other Signatories will look to fulfil this commitment through exploring music industry sectoral guidance for the SBTi initiative as well as build on steps already taken by Beggars Group, BMG, Ninja Tune, Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and others.
Members also commit to sharing data, insights and resources, as well as providing support for artists to engage and speak up about climate issues.
The Pact hopes to grow quickly from its list of initial Signatories and will provide support to encourage other businesses to sign up and deliver on the Pact. In addition to its Signatories, the Music Climate Pact also has a number of registered ‘Supporters’ – businesses and organisations that help create and deliver music, and which share the same vision for a cleaner, more efficient and sustainable music market. The founding signatories said, “Through these relationships, the global music sector has the ability to innovate, put out incredible music to a mass audience and shift culture by inspiring change.”
The Music Climate Pact
Vision
To harness the power of the music industry towards inspiring transformational action on the climate crisis.
Purpose
By aligning as a sector, we stand to de-politicise sustainability and address our biggest environmental impacts in an efficient and collaborative way.
There is a lot of work to be done if we are to become a more sustainable industry, but we will be guided by climate science and take tangible, unified action and regularly update on our progress.
Commitment
The Pact’s founder Signatories commit to:
- Take individual and collective action to measure and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (scopes 1, 2 and 3)
- By February 2022, have either signed the Science Based Targets standard commitment letter stating that we will commit to setting science-based targets or will have joined the Race to Zero programme
- Work together as an industry to establish carbon measurement methodologies, tools and frameworks backed by climate science
- Work in partnership with shared suppliers and digital streaming platforms (DSPs) to obtain data and drive emission reduction projects in a collaborative fashion
- Support artists in speaking up on climate issues
- Communicate openly with fans about the impacts of the music industry.
To find a full list of the Pact’s founding signatories and supporters and learn more about the initiative visit the Music Climate Pact website at www.musicclimatepact.com and follow #musicclimatepact.
