Vinyl Made from Ocean Plastic Turns the Tables on the Music Industry

Sharp’s Brewery is working with musician Nick Mulvey to make music that will protect British coastlines from plastic pollution and help reduce single plastic usage. The Cornish Brewery and Mercury Music Prize nominee have today released the first track pressed onto a record made from recycled plastic, which has been washed up on Cornish beaches. 

Sharp’s Brewery and Nick Mulvey announced the first of its kind collaboration with the launch of the track, titled ‘In the Anthropocene’. Proceeds from the track, including from sales of the limited-edition record pressed onto recycled plastic and digital streams, will go to Surfers Against Sewage to help protect British coastlines from pollution, including plastic waste.

The campaign was devised by creative agency Havas London, in collaboration with fellow Vivendi company Universal Music Group. To promote the launch of the track, the agency has created a film exploring the making of the record while fellow Havas agency One Green Bean is handling a consumer PR campaign.

The launch of this innovative new ‘ocean vinyl’ comes after last year’s signing of ‘Keynvor’, the musical artist’s name given to the Atlantic Ocean, by Universal Music.

The music industry is challenged with sustainability issues, from tackling single-use plastic cups at gig venues to unsustainable vinyl production practices. The new campaign from Sharp’s Brewery and the first playable track made from recycled ocean plastic collected from the Cornish coast, aims to give music lovers the chance to own something that’s made out of ‘single use’ plastic, that they’ll treasure forever.  

James Nicholls, marketing controller at Sharp’s Brewery, comments: "Cornish culture is built around the ocean – whether that’s seafood, surfing or even our own Atlantic Ale. Last year, we helped the ocean enter the charts, under Keynvor – which means ‘Ocean’ in the Cornish language. I’m excited to say that today we’re really turning the tables on the music industry by releasing ‘In the Anthropocene’, with Nick Mulvey – by upcycling single-use plastic found on our beaches and turning it into playable ‘ocean vinyl’."

Hugo Tagholm, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, says: "We are excited to be partnering with Sharp’s Brewery again to raise vital funds to protect our coastlines from plastic pollution and other environmental hazards. Keynvor, as a musical artist, and the new ‘ocean vinyl’, which uses plastic pollution and turns it into something positive, is a powerful way to help us raise money and continue to spread our message."

Mark Whelan, chief creative officer, Havas UK, comments: “Another brilliant activation from Sharps, thinking creatively and culturally about this massive issue, the ugly evidence of which is right on their doorstep.”

Says Nick Mulvey, musician/activist: "I've always loved the wildness of the Cornish coast and it feeds something deep in me every time I'm there. My music is about knowing who - or what - we are, right at the core. Aliveness itself, conscious. These times of urgent global crisis are demanding we re-examine ourselves and the world and raise ourselves to match the Earth, this wonder-organism from which we are not, and never have been, separate."

To purchase Nick Mulvey’s In the Anthropocene, visit Drift Records in store, or online, to pick up a unique limited-edition record with exclusive edits of the tracks, or stream the full tracks on digital platforms, including Spotify and Apple music. The proceeds go to Surfers Against Sewage, to protect the ocean. 

One limited edition record is available as part of an online auction on Givergy. To listen to the track, click here.