BMG | Berlin, 12/16/2021

BMG Doubles Down On Climate Targets

The music company aims to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and is now part of the “Music Climate Pact,” which aims to decarbonize the global music business and make it climate-neutral.

Bertelsmann’s music company BMG is further strengthening its commitment to reduce its climate impact. BMG has pledged to reduce its total CO₂ emissions by 50 percent by 2030, and presented a roadmap to reduce them to zero. The target includes CO₂ produced by outsourced activities such as manufacturing and logistics as well as those created directly in the operation of BMG’s daily business.

The first step in the process came in February this year when the company become the first major music company to announce the offsetting of all of its global site and employee-related greenhouse gas emissions, i.e. compensating for them by investing in certified climate-protection projects. Now it is going further, adopting a 50-percent reduction in emissions by 2030 – in line with Bertelsmann’s target, announced in February 2020, of being climate neutral by 2030.

‘Collective effort is required’

Furthermore, last Tuesday BMG became one of the founding signatories of a U.K.-initiated “Music Climate Pact” with other companies to “decarbonize” the global music business. By February 2022, founding signatories will be required to sign up to one of two schemes, the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) or the UN-backed Race to Zero SME Climate Commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

While typically BMG steers clear of industry initiatives and focuses instead on developing its own solutions – such as February’s offsetting announcement – there are some areas, such as outsourced manufacturing, where collective effort is required, said Christopher Ludwig, VP Global Digital Partnerships & Strategy, the company’s lead on green issues. “BMG is committed to taking responsibility for reducing its impact on the environment and achieving its climate goals,” said Ludwig. “The Music Climate Pact has a useful role in helping companies address issues which cannot be dealt with individually and we are pleased to play our part.”

Besides BMG, the founding members of the “Music Climate Pact” include the music companies Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group, as well as the independent labels Beggars Group, Brownswood Recordings, Ninja Tune, Secretly Group, and Warp. More information about the initiative can be found here.