UK Music Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The UK music industry is a pivotal cultural and creative industry, nationally and internationally; it therefore has the power – and the responsibility – to be a proactive leader in taking and driving climate change action.

In August 2007 Julie’s Bicycle commissioned the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University, to:

Estimate the annual greenhouse gas emissions of the UK music industry
Identify the key constraints and opportunities for reducing emissions
Make initial recommendations for specific actions and priorities for the medium term

Researchers worked with over 100 companies across the music business supply chain – limited to UK decision control. The resulting report is the most extensive and rigorous research yet to examine the carbon impacts of a creative industry supply chain in the UK.

The indicative total shows that the UK music market is responsible for approximately 540,000 tonnes CO2e per annum. While this is not as carbon intensive as many other industries, it remains a significant challenge to reduce CO2e emissions by 80% by 2050 in line with national and international targets.