Secretly Group announces sustainability plan to become “carbon positive” by 2026

Secretly Group has revealed plans to become “carbon positive” within the next five years.

One of the world’s biggest independent music companies, Secretly – which is partnered with imprints including Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, the Numero Group, and Dead Oceans – has made the sustainability pledge as it “works toward accounting for [its] historical carbon debt by [its] 30th anniversary in 2026.” The move has been made to coincide with the company’s 25th anniversary this year. 

As well as minimising product packaging, avoiding overstock, and recycling unsold formats and packaging, the Bloomington, Indiana-based company has also vowed to invest in energy efficiency, switching to 100% renewable energy, and more.

“We know that vinyl is problematic,” said Secretly Group’s Ben Swanson. “So is streaming. And touring. Do we need another debate about NFTs? It is easy to become paralyzed. But at the top of 2021, we made a concerted effort to take those first steps towards a more holistic approach. Along the way, we quickly learned two early lessons that we continue to hold in our mind: we should not let perfect be the enemy of good, and we should respect that it’s an iterative process.”

Check out Swanson’s statement, as well as Secretly Group’s sustainability plan in full here.

Back in October, DJs for Climate Action launched an initiative to help the electronic music industry realise a more innovative, sustainable and environmentally friendly dance music industry by 2030.