Music
20 Apr 21

Rough Trade, 4AD, Matador, XL Recordings, Young and Ninja Tune pledge to become carbon negative

In the run up to Earth Day 2021, Beggars Group and Ninja Tune have unveiled plans to reduce their carbon emissions.

Beggars Group (comprised of 4AD, Rough Trade, Matador, XL Recordings and Young) and Ninja Tunes (including its imprints Big Dada and Technicolour) have announced plans to go carbon negative.

In a statement shared to social media yesterday, Beggars Group unveiled their plan – to "reduce [their] carbon footprint to less than zero, to have the net effect of removing carbon from the atmosphere rather than adding to it."

Beggars' "science-based carbon reduction targets" cover their whole business, including their supply chain, with an overall goal of reducing emissions by 46% by 2030. They have pledged that their UK-managed operations will become carbon negative by the end of 2020, and their US-managed operations by 2024.

They go on to note that they will be investing in "high-impact climate and nature actions to neutralise residual emissions that [they] cannot yet eliminate."

We are committed to becoming carbon negative🌱
Read more about it here: https://t.co/6g3cZebxn8 pic.twitter.com/UI34R1EEIX

— Beggars Group (@beggarsgroup) April 19, 2021

4AD, Rough Trade, Matador, XL Recordings and Young are home to some of the most celebrated artists in the world – including Irish acts Lankum, Soak, Girl Band and Maria Somerville.

Ninja Tune, meanwhile, have announced their commitment to become "carbon neutral by the end of 2021, and carbon negative beyond that."

"We will measure our environmental impacts and emissions, continue to work on reductions, and balance our remaining impacts using tree planting, rainforest protection and other carefully chosen and audited real world actions to balance our impacts," their statement reads. "Ninja Tune is working to support the whole music business including music streaming services being carbon neutral by a target date of 2026, but in any case by 2030."

This week is Music Declares Emergency's #TurnUpTheVolume week of action. Throughout the week, the UK Music industry will reinforce its commitment to action on the climate emergency with a series of announcements and artist reach-outs.