Compact Disc/DVD Jewelcase Covers and Inserts Create Toxic Pollutants and Perpetuate the Problems of Deforestation

The Album Cover and Jewelcase Insert ProblemThe vast majority of CD replication/duplication companies use virgin paper products (fresh paper from the forest) with toxic inks and lacquers. The current record industry process of creating new compact disc jewel case inserts/covers pollutes the environment with a flood of PCBs, dioxins, solvents and toxic metals. These dangerous chemicals are also produced when these companies offer the cardboard jewelcase alternative. The cardboard will rarely contain any postconsumer recycled content,and will be soaked in synthetic inks and lacquers. In addition to that, there's still a PVC tray inside the cardboard case to hold the CD.

Solution: Earthology Records is the only nonprofit environmental Record Company in existence who guarantees that all paper used is 100% Postconsumer recycled. Producing recycled paper uses 55% less water and 60-70% less energy than making paper from virgin pulp, not to mention all the trees it saves. Earthology's CDs look as professional as any CD replication company that uses production methods harmful to the earth. Yet the paper is 100% Postconsumer recycled and the toxic inks are not used. Instead, beautiful, vibrant and nontoxic soyinks are used. The printing is all performed locally.

The de-inking process is the best way to concentrate these materials so they can be isolated and treated as hazardous waste, while the fiber is recovered and recycled. Recycling paper is not a 100% clean process, but no manufacturing or remanufacturing process is.

The fact is, it’s a much cleaner process to make paper from recycled fiber than from virgin wood pulp. Virgin papermaking requires the use of far more chemicals than are required in the de-inking process used to make recycled paper. Virgin paper making also requires an intense amount of bleach to whiten the fiber and remove the “lignin,” the natural glue in cellulose plants like trees that yellows the paper if it’s not removed. (That’s why your newspaper yellows in the sun, but your white paper doesn’t; the white paper has had the lignin bleached out.)

Recycling paper also uses 55% less water and 60-70% less energy than making paper from virgin pulp. All this is good to remember over the holidays, when our use of paper products soars. If you buy holiday greeting cards, support recycling and a cleaner paper making process by buying cards that say they’re made with recycled content and printed with soy-based inks. Don’t use the heavily dyed dark red and green envelopes. Not only are they not recyclable—those dyes in the recycling process are akin to putting a cherry red t-shirt in with your white linens—but they’re also more toxic to produce and will add to the toxic sludge when landfilled.

Avoid using non recycle CD insert. 99% of cardboard jewlecases are also not made with postconsumer recycled content, and are saturated with colorfully toxic inks, clays and chemicals.

What can you do?
Get creative and reuse your old calendar, the Sunday comics, a map or blueprints. Choose reusable gift bags, or wrap a gift within a gift by using things like a scarf or bandana. You’ll impress your friends and family with your eco-hip techniques, and you’ll likely see them mimicked next year. If the environmental statistics don’t change your mind about the value of recycling, then consider the fact that these environmental and energy savings have led the paper industry to invest in building more and more recycling mills to recycle ever more millions of tons of paper each year. They’re no longer building new virgin paper mills that don’t take recycled fiber. Why? Because it doesn’t just make environmental sense, but capitalists like it, too. So keep using that recycling bin and don’t believe the anti-recycling hype.

Environmental issues and solutions associated with
Compact Disc (CD) and DVD replication and duplication

The Jewelcase Problem: This is easily the biggest consideration when approaching the issue of how to produce your CDs or DVDs in an environmentally friendly way. A typical CD jewelcase is made up of 85 grams of PolyVinyl Chloride (PVC). The production of these petrochemical plastics releases dangerous toxins into the atmosphere. When the CD case is no longer needed, it either sits for thousands of years in landfills (PVC is not biodegradable) or is incinerated, which releases dioxin into the atmosphere, one of the most toxic carcinogens on the planet. A single 1,000 order of replicated CDs, using standard plastic jewel cases creates nearly 200 lbs. of one of the most dangerously toxic chemicals on the planet today.

Solution: Avoid companies that will package your CDs in new plastic jewelcases. Earthology Records is the only nonprofit environmental Record Company in existense who actually provides CD duplication/replication with 100% recycled/reused plastic jewelcases. This is, by far, the most environmentally friendly way to package your CDs. There are many CD production companies who also offer cardboard jewelcases, but the cardboard is not post-consumer recycled and is saturated with toxic lacquers and inks. As if that wasn't bad enough, inside the cardboard case you still have a PVC tray that holds the CD. This route is certainly better than going with new plastic jewelcases, but creates its own host of pollutants and perpetuates the problem of deforestation.

If you do choose the cardboard case route, ask if the company will use soy ink and a water based lacquer. Companies like Oasis CD also offer the recycled cardboard "Rough Look" packaging. This is a good step in the right direction, but the cardboard still arrives in a PVC sleeve and the jewelcase has no spine, so radio stations will not add it to their libraries and most record stores will refuse to stock them. These also require more packaging when mailing, since there's no actual case protecting the CD, other than the sleeve.

Click here to learn more about this problem and solution!

The Album Cover and Jewelcase Insert ProblemThe vast majority of CD replication/duplication companies use virgin paper products (fresh paper from the forest) with toxic inks and lacquers. The current record industry process of creating new compact disc jewel case inserts/covers pollutes the environment with a flood of PCBs, dioxins, solvents and toxic metals. These dangerous chemicals are also produced when these companies offer the cardboard jewelcase alternative. The cardboard will rarely contain any postconsumer recycled content,and will be soaked in synthetic inks and lacquers. In addition to that, there's still a PVC tray inside the cardboard case to hold the CD.

Solution: Earthology Records is the only nonprofit environmental Record Company in existence who guarantees that all paper used is 100% Postconsumer recycled. Producing recycled paper uses 55% less water and 60-70% less energy than making paper from virgin pulp, not to mention all the trees it saves. Earthology's CDs look as professional as any CD replication company that uses production methods harmful to the earth. Yet the paper is 100% Postconsumer recycled and the toxic inks are not used. Instead, beautiful, vibrant and nontoxic soyinks are used. The printing is all performed locally, by a family owned Union print shop.

The Shrinkwrap Problem: Getting your CDs replicated by a standard company means your CDs are each shrink-wrapped in toxic PVC (click here to learn more about the PVC issue).

Solution: If you are doing a small order of CDs, you can simply choose to not have your CDs shrinkwrapped. If you hope to sell your CDs via mail or record stores, shrinkwrap will unfortuantely be required. Earthology Records never uses PVC shrinkwrap. Currently Earthology is working to be the first Record Company to package its CDs in biodegradable corn-based shrink wrap. This stuff is so environmentally friendly, it's actually edible. This innovative new technology is currently being refined by the University of Illinois. Until this product is released onto the market, Earthology has all of its CDs shrinkwrapped in benign Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), an environmentally benign wrap, that when burned, creates nothing but water vapor and carbon dioxide. The shrinkwrapping is all done by Goodwill, a nonprofit focused on providing assistance to people with mental and physical disabilities. Although this is currently the most environmetally friendly shrink wrapping method, Earthology is looking forward to the release of the corn-based alternative and applauds the research that will eventually manifest that alternative.

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The Shipping Problem: Current mainstream CD shipping practices involve bubble-wrap, made from toxic PVC (click here to learn more about the PVC issue) and or styrofoam, which is created by injecting the plastic polymer, polystyrene, with a gas-such as HCFC 22, CFC 11, or CFC 12 (all ozone destroying chlorofluorocarbons), or pentane-to expand it into that puffy material. Toxic and hazardous chemicals, including styrene, benzene and ethylene, are used to make PS foam and are a byproduct of PS foam production.

Solution: Earthology's interns/volunteers gather beautifully shaped dried maple, oak and other deciduous tree leaves each Autumn, which are used instead of styrofoam or bubblewrap. The mailers are made out of old disgarded maps that are turned into envelopes. This is an environmentally friendly alternative but also catches the eye of reviewers, record stores, and radio stations that we regularly ship to!

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The Fossil Fuel/Nuclear Power Environmental Problems Associated With the Music Industry: The current dependance on fossil fuels and nuclear energy sources is one of the biggest problems facing the world.

Solution: One of the main consumptive uses of fossil fuels and nuclear power is simply the process of keeping living/business environments heated and cooled. Although located in the chilly climes of Northern Minnesota, Earthology is 100% heated and cooled by sustainable geothermal energy. This is natural energy stored within the earth. There are absolutely no pollutants. Earthology is currently working on grant funding to have all other systems powered by solar paneling. With that, Earthology will be completely off the power grid, meaning no fossil fuels or nuclear power is consumed. While we finalize these grants, Earthology takes care of its energy needs via its earth-friendly geothermal system and by taking part in the WindSense Program, where we pay extra to the local power company to have our electrical needs powered cleanly by the wind.

Solution: Earthology is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. This allows us to get grants from foundations,private donors and government sources to help struggling artists excel, despite the fact that their finances may be scarce. In addition to that, 100% of Earthology profits, after expenses, are donated to nonprofit charities who are fighting for sustainable agriculture, clean air & water, human and animal rights, and other causes that lessen the disparity gap between the "Haves" and "Have Nots". In short, by choosing Earthology, you can know your dollar is going to build a healthy world, and not to fatten a wealthy CEO's pocketbook.

Earthology Records
P.O. Box 367
Hinckley, MN 55037
Information@Earthology.net