The 25th anniversary of the Bloomington, Indiana-based label Secretly Canadian has marked a year-long effort to raise $250,000 for New Hope For Families, an organization that helps fight homelessness in the label’s hometown. They’ve used proceeds from the SC25 Editions series of albums, as well as the SC25 Singles series, to do so. But in its 25 years of existence, Secretly Canadian has grown into much more than just a single label. Secretly encompasses the label, Secretly Distribution, Secretly Publishing, and a group of labels including Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory, Ghostly, Numero, and 37d03d. Now all ten these entities have bound together for a groundbreaking pledge as the final stroke on the 25th Anniversary efforts.
The entire group has committed to offset 100 percent of carbon emissions and become climate positive by 2026. This is a similar move to what the UK-based Beggars Group and Ninja Tune announced earlier this year and it’s a welcome trend in the independent record industry that can hopefully inspire majors.
For context, Secretly says that it created 150 metric tons of heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 (from buildings, vehicles, etc.). By implementing the use of solar panels and other carbon offsets, emissions quickly went down by 22 percent in 2020. In a thorough sustainability plan, Secretly outlined every step of how they’ll achieve this. They conclude:
“We are excited to lead the way to a more sustainable independent music industry. We are committed to be a positive force for change in the face of climate change, and hope that our action will inspire others. Will you join us?”
Secretly Group COO & co-founder Ben Swanson added an additional statement, “As we grapple with climate change’s increasingly dangerous and pervasive impacts, we also are reckoning with our role in contributing to climate change. With this sustainability plan, we move from awareness to action. We are encouraged by the commitments of our peers and hope to further inspire others to join the movement for climate action.”