-
-
-
Loading
Loading
Billie Eilish is making headlines yet again, this time not just for her music, but for her tireless advocacy for sustainability in the entertainment industry. The Grammy-winning singer is putting pressure on her own label, Universal Music Group, to address one of the industry’s biggest environmental problems: merchandise waste.
At just 23, Billie has already established herself as one of the most environmentally-conscious figures in pop culture. From paying out of her own pocket to cover fans’ public transportation to her gigs, to producing vinyl records from recycled plastics, and even performing at solar-powered music festivals, she has consistently used her platform to make greener choices and encourage others to do the same.
Her latest mission is to ensure that thousands of pieces of unsold concert merch, often made from virgin cotton and polyester blends, don’t end up in landfill or incinerators. Instead, Billie is urging Universal to implement an “upcycling” program to rework or recycle these unsold items into new, wearable pieces.
Industry insiders say the move has already sparked conversations at the label, with some insiders noting that the sheer volume of unsold stock across global tours is staggering, and completely avoidable if managed creatively.
In a recent Instagram story, Billie wrote:
“We all know how much merch ends up going to waste after a tour or a festival. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can give it another life, and it’s time labels like UMG took the lead. I’m not waiting around for someone else to fix it.”
Fashion and music have long gone hand-in-hand, but the environmental footprint of cheap, mass-produced merchandise has increasingly come under scrutiny in recent years. Fans often buy tour shirts, hoodies and totes only to find the quality poor and the fabrics environmentally damaging. Unsold stock is a hidden part of the problem, with many items destroyed or quietly dumped when tours wrap.
Billie’s call-to-action is already inspiring her fanbase. On TikTok and Instagram, the hashtag #UpcycleWithBillie began trending within hours of her announcement, with fans showing off their own upcycled pieces and calling for other artists to follow her lead.
She also noted that sustainable merch production is not enough if unsold goods are left to waste:
“If you’re going to make it, make it responsibly, but also, if it doesn’t sell, figure out a way to reuse it. We owe that to the planet.”
So far, Universal Music Group has not issued a formal statement on Billie’s demands, but sustainability advocates hope her star power can create the momentum needed to bring about meaningful change across the industry.
As always, Billie continues to prove that being a pop superstar and being a responsible global citizen don’t have to be mutually exclusive. And for her millions of fans around the world, it’s just one more reason to love her.
