Music
Organic records and eco-fashion: About Billie Eilish’s green empire
Have a good laugh: Billie Eilsh is teaching the music industry to be more environmentally conscious
She has already put fashion labels on a sustainability course. But now Billie Eilish is outdoing herself: her new album “Hit Me Hard And Soft” is made from old kitchen oil. I’m sorry, what?
The world has to say goodbye to its favorite teenager. Billie The Kid has grown up and explains: “If I don’t use my privileges to do something good in this world, then what’s the point of it all?” The singer only celebrated her 22nd birthday in December, but you can Don’t forget: Eilish has been in the music business for almost ten years and is something of a pop veteran, with more than 100 million followers on Instagram alone and 30 billion streams on Spotify. A power that she is now beginning to use.
It started a few years ago with a request from sneaker giant Nike. Would Eilish be interested in collaborating? Yes, Eilish had it, but there were also conditions – and so they designed a leather sneaker for her made from vegan materials and 20 percent recycled.
When the Oscar de la Renta label wanted to dress her, she demanded: Only if you finally stop using fur! The fashion house made sense and decided not to do so from then on. And when Parlux offered Eilish to release fragrances together, she dictated: only vegan and without animal testing! Answer: Of course… the temptation to advertise with Eilish is worth every concession.
Organic vinyl made from old kitchen oil
With her new album “Hit Me Hard And Soft”, which will be released on May 17th, she has now turned to her own industry. Eilish had already helped set up the “Music Decarbonization Project” last year. Its goal: to minimize carbon emissions in the music industry. Eilish is now demonstrating how this can happen with her new work and innovative techniques. “Hit Me Hard And Softly” is released in eight different vinyl editions.
One is made from recycled black vinyl, the seven colored versions are made from a – also recycled – eco-mix or organic vinyl, which is made from, among other things, old kitchen oil. The compact discs are not packaged in plastic sleeves, but in soft packs that are 100 percent recycled and printed with water- and plant-based inks. In a few years, all of these procedures could be standard.
The standards at Eilish’s house are also high, as she made clear: “When I receive a gift, I very carefully remove all the ribbons and the scotch tape so that everything can be used a second time.” The Eilishs were already preparing in 2012 converted her house in Los Angeles to solar power. And two years later, the meadow in the front yard had to be replaced – to save water.