Developed by the global leader in media manufacturing Sonopress, the EcoRecord is produced by a new type of injection molding machine, and the records themselves are made of PET. (Traditional records are made out of PVC – vinyl). Both PVC and PET are recyclable materials, however, PET requires less resources to recycle than PVC.
Sonopress has partnered with Gotta Groove Records to offer the EcoRecord to the United States independent record scene. The first EcoRecord machine was installed in the U.S. in May 2025, and has the capability to produce thousands of EcoRecords per day in a multitude of colors.
The Gotta Groove + Sonopress EcoRecord is made with a completely new design of machine, as well as a new and proprietary type of PET which has been custom formulated to make the best sounding records possible. The EcoRecord brand is a registered trademark of Sonopress, and there are no pressing plants anywhere in the world offering the EcoRecord other than Gotta Groove and Sonopress. Our EcoRecord should not be confused with other types of records in the marketplace that are made with PET or recycled components. The Gotta Groove + Sonopress EcoRecord stands out as completely new and exacting record listening experience.
One of the most exciting things about the EcoRecord is that the sound quality is the same as the exacting high level of sound quality of traditional vinyl records pressed at Gotta Groove. Furthermore, the lacquers or DMM masters are cut in the exact same manner as traditional vinyl records, so they can be sourced by the same exact analogue or high resolution digital masters as any vinyl record – no difference in mastering or cutting is required.
EcoRecords do not look much different than traditional records. The grooves are identical. EcoRecords are dramatically flat and well-centered. While the edges can appear slightly more “squared” than a traditional record, they can also be slightly less susceptible to warping or off-centeredness. They do not require any different type of handling, turntable setup, or storage – you can treat them with the same level of care as you would a vinyl record.
Minimizing our environmental footprint is extremely important to us at GGR, as it should be to everyone. We take broad measures to run our operation as efficiently as possible, as well as to mitigate our footprint on the earth as much as possible. We strongly believe that if everyone – manufacturers, service sector businesses, and individuals alike – makes real efforts to minimize impact upon the environment, we can all have a collective positive effect on the world’s climate and living conditions, as well as upon our own personal lives.
We recognize that not every business is going to be zero-impact, or carbon negative (if that really is even possible). But, it is the collective real actions –not just marketing statements– taken by businesses and individuals within their own controllable environments and lives that can mitigate waste and pollutants and have a true collective improvement for our earth.
We have experimented with many different non-vinyl materials over the years. Our requirements for success have always been 1. The material and/or process must produce real environmental benefits vs traditional vinyl record manufacturing – not just “greenwashing” statements; and 2. The records produced must sound the same or better as a Gotta Groove pressed vinyl record. The EcoRecord is the first such record that fulfills both of our requirements.