Guetersloh, 04. March 2026 – Sonopress, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of physical media, and South Korean company Plastic Ark have entered into a cooperation agreement. At the heart of the agreement is a strategic market partnership through which Sonopress intends to establish and expand EcoRecord, its sustainable long-playing record, in Asia – with a clear focus on South Korea. The collaboration is designed for growth and is to be expanded step by step.
“The partnership we have now sealed is a very important cornerstone for Sonopress in the global development of EcoRecord. With Plastic Ark we have found exactly the right partner to tap into the exciting music market in South Korea and, beyond that, further markets in Asia. We are convinced that our sustainable long-playing record will meet with a similarly high level of interest there as it has in Europe and the United States,” says Sven Deutschmann, Managing Director of Sonopress.
Plastic Ark also sees the cooperation as a strategic step towards establishing sustainable music products in the Korean market. Sihyeong Kim (Nami), CEO of Plastic Ark, explains: “South Korea is one of the most dynamic music markets in the world. We are proud to mark the beginning of a new chapter in sustainable record production together with Sonopress, a globally recognized record manufacturer.
Through this partnership, we aim to position EcoRecord beyond a sustainable alternative, establishing it as a next-generation physical format evolving alongside the K-content industry. By integrating Sonopress’s manufacturing excellence with Plastic Ark’s creative vision, we aim to drive a structural shift toward a more sustainable record ecosystem in the Korean music market.”
Plastic Ark: Expanding Sustainability into Cultural Value
In developing the Asian market, Sonopress is deliberately relying on a partner that combines sustainability with design and proximity to the market. Plastic Ark is a sustainability-driven design company operating at the intersection of material innovation and cultural collaboration. Through partnerships with global IPs and entertainment brands, the company has demonstrated how sustainable materials can evolve into culturally relevant products, presenting new possibilities for market expansion.
Building on its expertise in planning and developing products using 100% recycled plastics, Plastic Ark has collaborated with a wide range of domestic and international artists and brands over the years, continuously creating new value from residual plastics and making sustainability more visible in everyday life.
Two complementary approaches – one shared goal
According to Sven Deutschmann, the cooperation that has now been sealed brings together two sustainability approaches that complement each other in a meaningful way: resource-efficient production of storage media on the one hand, and the creative reuse of plastic remnants on the other. Deutschmann adds: “Together we want to provide fresh impetus for sustainable music products in Asia – with the ambition not merely to serve the market selectively, but to help develop it structurally.” By entering the Asian market, Sonopress is also underlining its ambition to establish EcoRecord as an international alternative to conventional vinyl production, while at the same time supporting the global shift towards more environmentally conscious manufacturing processes.
