Photo Credit: Mick Haupt
IMPALA has unveiled a collaboration with FÉLIN’s ReDisco, a vinyl recycling initiative that’s said to have “given a second life to 1.2 million unwanted records” since launching three years ago.
France’s National Federation of Independent Labels and Distributors (FÉLIN) established ReDisco in 2023, after a law in 2022 prohibited labels and distributors from trashing excess vinyl.
As spelled out on FÉLIN’s website, the same companies can reap tax benefits by recycling under the law. With Paris-headquartered Believe and about 60 others therefore on board, ReDisco collects unsold records (plus CDs and DVDs) in a Chartres facility for dismantling and sorting, according to its website.
From there, the items are transported about 200 miles to a Couzeix recycling factory, where they’re “transformed into plastic pellets.” The latter, for their part, are then used to create new vinyl records or different items yet, per the site.
All told, the program’s said to have recycled the aforementioned 1.2 million records thus far.
To reiterate the obvious, it isn’t cheap to press vinyl; against the backdrop of steady demand and more manufacturing options, participant labels will presumably take steps to avoid overaccumulating inventory moving forward.
And as that means there’ll be a comparatively limited recycle supply at the company level, ReDisco has also unveiled collection centers for individuals’ unwanted vinyl, CDs, and DVDs. From now through June’s end, individuals can drop off media at 10 locations across France, organizers relayed in more words.
On one hand, sending a mountain of records to the landfill definitely isn’t a good thing. On the other hand, the described recycling process requires time, money, energy, and resources to execute. At the intersection of this point and the resurging format’s above-noted demand, can’t some of the items find new owners?
(Side question: How many of the 1.2 million recycled records could have, at a minimum, been given away? What about a program affording France’s estimated 500 indie record stores, and perhaps stores across Europe, the option of requesting items to sell?)
We’ll soon find out: To the benefit of vinyl diehards (and probably resellers as well), the individual-geared deposit centers have been organized to accommodate record swaps, ReDisco relayed.
Regarding how IMPALA fits into the picture, the entity has announced ReDisco as its sustainability “Organisation with a Cause”; co-funded by the EU, the latter program set sail in May 2025.
“ReDisco proves that independent players are at the forefront when it comes to driving change,” added IMPALA executive chair Helen Smith. “Ensuring that innovative initiatives get the recognition they deserve in Europe is essential to building a more sustainable and responsible music ecosystem for the future.”
Meanwhile, FÉLIN executive director Céline Lepage touched on plans to expand ReDisco “across Europe and internationally.”
“We are delighted to have been selected by the IMPALA sustainability task force,” Lepage said. “With ReDisco, we aim to offer a sustainable national solution for the entire sector and to expand this model across Europe and internationally for a greener global industry. This recognition will help us towards achieving our aim.”
