Bravado, the merchandise division of Universal Music Group and a POC Member, is scaling up its sustainability efforts with the launch of a major upcycling programme aimed at transforming unsold and obsolete merchandise into new product lines.
More than 400,000 t-shirts and other items recently left the company’s Nashville warehouse, bound for Hallotex in Tangiers, Morocco – a global leader in sustainable textile manufacturing. Over the course of six weeks, the products will be broken down, reprocessed, and spun into new yarn to create an estimated 280,000 new t-shirt blanks made entirely from recycled cotton. These upcycled blanks are set to feature in artist collections launching this autumn.
“When I joined Bravado in 2021, it was clear that many of our artists were keen to embed more sustainable practices into their merch,” said Matt Young, president of Bravado. “Billie Eilish and her mother, Maggie Baird, were instrumental in pushing us forward, and this project is a testament to the difference that advocacy and artist engagement can make.”
The initiative is believed to be the most extensive artist merchandise upcycling programme attempted at this scale, reflecting Bravado’s wider sustainability ambitions under the Universal Music Group umbrella. “This is just one example of the steps we’re taking to reduce environmental impact,” said Dylan Siegler, head of sustainability at UMG.
The mantra for Universal Music Group (UMG) is to ‘Shape culture through the power of artistry,’ which Matt notes is never more relevant than when talking about sustainability.
UMG works with some of the most successful music artists in the world; “These folks have a voice and can get people to pay attention. So how do we create a positive impact and how do we use our influence to change culture around this topic?” shared Matt at the Products of Change Conference at the end of last year.
Matt Young also highlighted in his presentation the five areas Bravado has identified as key opportunities: sustainable materials and packaging; logistics, warehousing and distribution; vendor partners; waste management and energy conservation; and end product life cycle.
“POC is helping to guide us, others in this room help guide us, our partners help guide us,” said Matt, to work toward these goals.
Bravado is already engaged in a variety of circularity-led projects. Collaborations with organisations such as Suay (Billie Eilish), Lost Love (Social Distortion), and Fashion-Enter (The Rolling Stones) have seen deadstock and older merch creatively repurposed. Meanwhile, innovations in eco-conscious t-shirt production – championed by artists like Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, and Lorde – are now being adopted across the wider artist roster, from Camila Cabello and The Weeknd to KAROL G.
During Earth Month earlier this year, nearly 50 Bravado artists featured upcycled or sustainably produced merch in their online stores.
“This project with Hallotex marks a significant milestone,” added Matt. “But it’s also just the beginning. We see enormous potential to keep innovating and reshaping what sustainable merchandise can look like in the music industry.”
Matt crucially noted in his presentation at the Conference last year, that: “Really, it’s a journey. We don’t have the answers to every question, sometimes we don’t even know what questions to ask, which is why we partner with Products of Change and why we’re here today [at the POC Conference].”
Bravado’s Matt Young, spoke at the POC Conference in 2024. Read more about Bravado’s sustainability story and the takeaways from Matt’s presentation at our Conference here.
To sign up for this year’s Products of Change Conference and have a front seat to the sustainable change makers reimagining our industry, get your tickets here.
