Solar Power in this case is not a reference to renewable energy, but the title of Lorde’s new album. The New Zealand Grammy award winning singer wanted to provide her fans with an option to access her music in an environmentally conscious way. Instead of a CD version, she released a discless zero carbon certified album for download, alongside a limited vinyl edition.
Image source: Universal Music NZ
thinkstep-anz have calculated the carbon footprint of the discless album, including the impact of the download of Solar Power following international standards. The assessment included the carbon emissions from sourcing of the raw materials, including paper, inks, and glue, the assembly of the greenbox, distribution to the retailer and treatment at end-of-life. The emissions from downloading the album were calculated from the electricity required for one download of the album and includes the data centres and transmission of data.
The calculations were then verified by Ekos. The resulting carbon footprint of the Solar Power music box was then offset with certified carbon credits from Ekos’ supply chain of restorative forest carbon projects in New Zealand and Vanuatu.
You can order Lorde's discless album here.