The US singer, who headlined Glastonbury festival in 2022, announced the details for her third album, Hit Me Hard And Soft, yesterday (8 April). Due for release on 17 May, she also confirmed details of the album’s production methods, with which she is aiming to minimise her environmental impact.
It has not been revealed where copies bound for the UK market will be produced, although many CDs and vinyls available for purchase in the UK are now manufactured on the continent, in countries including Germany and the Czech Republic.
On her UK webstore, it was stated that all of the album’s vinyl copies will be made using recyclable or recycled compounds and all packaging will be made from recycled paper/boards.
“The ink used is raw plant-based and water-based dispersion varnish. The sleeves are 100% recycled and re-usable,” it stated.
“Cassette shells will be made from recycled shell pieces that are ground down and re-used to make new cassette shells. No plastic cassette boxes will be used; instead, eco-friendly stock to make o-cards [cassette sleeves] will be used in their place.”
CD packaging will be made from softpaks, with no plastic jewel boxes used. All softpaks will be made from stock with 100% renewable fibres and up to 30% post-consumer recycled fibres that are 100% recyclable.
More production details were shared on Eilish’s US site, which stated that she will be releasing a limit of eight variants of vinyl through the site, as well as major retailers there including Target, Amazon, and Walmart, each on the same day and with the same tracklisting across the board.
While the standard black variant will be made from 100% recycled black vinyl, the seven coloured vinyl variants will be made from Eco-Mix or BioVinyl.
The former is created using 100% recycled compound made of leftovers from any colour, which cannot otherwise be used.
Bio Vinyl, meanwhile, is said to help reduce carbon emissions by 90% compared to virgin vinyl by using non-fossil fuel materials like used cooking oil or industrial waste gases while maintaining the same audio and optical quality as conventional vinyl.
For shipping, all finished goods will be packaged and shipped to depots in up to 93% recycled and 100% recyclable shipping boxes.
Meanwhile, the site said Eilish’s merchandise clothing uses residual dead stock from prior productions, organic or recycled polyester or cotton, non-toxic dye inputs and international design processes for circularity, reduced climate impact, and regeneration. Posters are made from 100% recycled paper.
Speaking to US publication Billboard, Eilish explained that her parents had always kept her well informed and “hyper aware that every choice we make and every action we take has an impact somewhere or on someone, good or bad, and that has always stuck with me”.
She added: “I can’t just ignore what I know and go about my business and career and not do something. That’s just not how I was raised, or how I want to live my life.”
Eilish is on the Darkroom/Interscope Records label, part of Universal Music Group.
