At Deepgrooves we strive to be the greenest and the first to change the world of vinyl production. We implemented the ISO 14001 certification to guarantee the highest quality within the vinyl industry independently audited by highly trained professionals. We also implemented the ISCC PLUS certification to be fully transparent about our supply chain and prove to the world that we are the greenest pressing plant in the world.

At a time when plastic waste and microplastics are invading the planet’s ecosystem, we feel it is our duty as a company, but also as human beings, to produce your vinyl in an environmentally friendly way. We are the greenest vinyl pressing plant in the world. Our main goal, as it has been since the start in 2017 is to press your vinyl records “As Green As Possible”. Vinyl as you know it but made with the greenest available raw materials. We are innovative, cutting edge and pioneers in the sustainable pressing of environmentally conscious vinyl. We do this for the best possible price without compromising on the (sound) quality of the product. 

Thanks to our cutting edge Co2(e) and GHG smart tracking system, which we continuously update with our latest data, we are now able to track our entire ecological footprint regarding our energy consumption, waste, recycling and pollution. We are very proud to say that Deepgrooves is the only pressing plant in the world that produces their record as Co2(e) neutral as possible. We are committed to meeting the needs of the music industry to provide high quality products for their artists, labels, and fans in the greenest way possible. It is our mission to produce your vinyl records cleaner, better and more responsibly!

Every order will be produced by the following certified protocol

• We offer BIO-Vinyl made from 100% circularly recycled oil without the use of the fossil industry which therefore has a 90% reduced Co2(e) footprint.
• Our standard PVC granulate, which is used to make vinyl records, is based on calcium and zinc stabilizers instead of highly toxic heavy metal stabilizers.
• All our machines are powered by green solar and wind energy, as well as green gas, that is supplied by local suppliers.
• We use an energy-efficient top of the bill and brand new infrastructure that meets current energy standards.
• Our factory is 100% circular in terms of recycling, waste management and energy usage.
• We remove labels from incorrectly pressed records and turn the remaining vinyl into recycled granulate for internal and external circular recycling processes.
• To reduce single-use plastic waste, we have stopped shrink-wrapping vinyl records and now offering greener alternatives such as PP and PE sleeves and reusable seal bags.
• We use environmentally friendly FSC-certified paper and cardboard for our printed products, as well as eco-friendly and water based varnishes and vegan ink from trusted and certified manufacturers such as Huber Group and Rapida Eco.
• Our packages are shipped in eco-friendly heavy-duty FSC-certified cardboard boxes with biodegradable paper adhesive tape. Larger shipments are shipped on 100% circularly recycled wooden pallets with biodegradable wrapping made from 50% sugar cane.
• We recycle our useless cardboard waste and use it for packaging and transporting purposes whenever possible.
• Our website and project management software runs on servers that make use of green energy; – Worldwide we ship all our parcels climate neutral. To optimize our logistics and reduce our ecological footprint even further we collaborate with companies that use empty truck spaces for optimal ecological transport.
• Most of our suppliers are either ISO or ISCC certified in terms of environmentally tracking systems
• The possible non-usage internal compound waste created is circularly recycled within an open supply chain within the Northern part of The Netherlands to develop a new recycling and production process to chemically recycle all waste for a complete 100%. All waste created can and will be used for other factories and industries such as the medical, biochemical and automotive industry completely funded by the European Union and local partners.
• Production completely on renewable energy. 

What is Bio-Vinyl?

• 100% recyclable.
• Independently ISCC Certified.
• Not compete with the food chain.
• Exact same stringent performance criteria (same quality, same sound, better product)
• Identical process conditions in relations to the current calcium zinc PVC provided.
• 100% replacement fossil with non-fossil.
• 90% Co2(E) reduction by using non-fossil sources that are independently certified within an open supply chain.
  

What is ISCC?

ISCC works towards an open and sustainable world. ISCC’s mission is to use certification as a tool to reduce GHG (Greenhouse Gases) emissions and establish sustainable production within fully traceable supply chains from the origin to the final user. ISCC believes that sustainable supply chains are crucial to fight the most severe impacts of the climate crisis. Since greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are major contributors to climate change, we also consider the identification and reduction of GHG emissions as an important part of their work. With 9000+ validated certificates in more than 130 countries, ISCC is among the world’s largest certification systems. It has been developed through an open multi-stakeholder process and is governed by an association with more than 250 members, including research institutes and NGOs.

The objective of ISCC is

• The implementation of zero-deforestation.
• The protection of soil, water and air.
• Compliance with human, labor and land rights.
• Measurement and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Traceability throughout supply chains.

Deepgrooves is now officially ISCC PLUS certified. This is a voluntary scheme that is applicable for the bioeconomy and circular economy of chemical, plastic, packaging derived from a process of renewable energy sources. ISCC PLUS covers the same certification requirements as ISCC EU but can be customized to meet the specific needs of the market.

What is ISO?

The ISO 14001 certification is a globally accepted voluntary standard with set guidelines regarding an environmental management system. This has been developed by the ‘International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations’ with help from the United Nations Standards Coordination Committee. It’s an environmental management system tool that helps organisations develop and grow suitability goals and to independently audit and track the process of them. The ISO 14001 standardisation causes the environmental risks of a business operation to be controlled and if possible, reduced. The main points of focus for the ISO protocol are: the implementations of the environmental management system, environmental auditing, environmental development evaluation, environmental certifiaction, life cycle analyses of the product (LCA) and standardisation of environmental productional requirements. Within this protocol the focus lies also on: the context of the organisation, leadership, planning, support, development, production, evaluation of customers experiences and improvement.

This is our goal for the upcoming years

In the next year Deepgrooves aims to implement all ISO certified goals. Within two years Deepgrooves aims to be completely Co2(e) neutral in terms of production. Our aim is to encourage and inspire artists and labels to embrace vinyl production without environmental guilt. Our entire staff is dedicated to implementing and expanding our ECO policy, and as a team, we believe that we can initiate change within our industry. We also aim to motivate other companies to collaborate with us in developing eco-friendly products for a better future. Together we can make the world a better place, one record at a time! 

If you have any doubts, let us know. We are more than happy to show you around and showcase to the world that we are the first, the only and the greenest pressing plant in the world. 

Here you can download the Deepgrooves Eco Friendly Vinyl logo and use it in your record sleeve design. If desired, we can also place a small sticker (10 mm) of our Eco Friendly Vinyl logo on the bottom right of your record sleeve for free. This way you can show buyers that the record was pressed in the greenest vinyl pressing plant in the world.