Grammy Award-winner Lorde is determined to reduce her carbon footprint. She’s excited that her long-awaited third album, Solar Power, has achieved Net Zero Carbon status, with help from thinkstep-anz.
That collaboration included our thinkstep-anz team working to international standards to calculate the carbon footprint of the packaging Lorde has chosen for her album: a ‘Greenbox’. This is a disc-less album made of cardboard. The Solar Power Greenbox includes a unique download code for the album and exclusive artist material.
We focused on emissions related to the disc-less album
In assessing the Greenbox’s carbon footprint, our team calculated the impact of sourcing raw materials like paper and inks, of making the Greenbox itself, and of transporting it to the many retailers keen to sell Lorde’s latest album. We then allowed for the electricity involved when Lorde’s fans download the album for the first time, and assumed a worst case scenario for its disposal: that fans would send the Greenbox to landfill, rather than recycling it. (In reality, we suspect they will be reluctant to part with it, meaning many CO2e of carbon saved.)
Most emissions are released when the album is downloaded
The result: the Solar Power album (even the name is environmentally apt) has a footprint of 1.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). Most of these emissions are released when fans download the album to play. By comparison, driving a small petrol car for 10 kilometres emits around 2.0 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e).
Carbon offsets are now benefiting forests in New Zealand and Vanuatu
After the carbon footprint was verified by an independent third party, our thinkstep-anz experts calculated the offset Lorde needed to make for a Certified Net Zero Carbon Product. Lorde then chose to buy her carbon credits from Ekos, a New Zealand-based social enterprise that supplies high-quality forest carbon credits. Forests in Golden Bay, New Zealand and Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu are now benefiting.
We are pleased to have helped Lorde achieve her vision for this album. It’s innovative and a good example of using data to guide more sustainable decisions.
Learn more about this LCA study here: Lorde’s Certified Zero Carbon music album.