But on closer inspection, it turns out that the CD, the first release from a group called Recoup, is encased inside an empty crisp packet which would otherwise not be recyclable. The packaging, which chimes with the environmental message delivered in the band's song "Remind You", was the brainchild of the lead singer's girlfriend, who urged the group to develop an "eco-friendly consciousness".

Majken Moller, 30, a passionate environmentalist, dreamt up the idea to package her boyfriend Pieter Theron's first single in a crisp packet by turning it inside out. Mr Theron, 33, said he followed her advice to think " laterally and be creative" with consumer packaging. He hopes the move will create a new "eco-army" of music fans.

"You get bands with eco-friendly messages but if you buy their CDs, they are made of pure plastic. You feel like saying 'go and clean up your own house first'.

"This is one solution but there is the potential for larger bands to think of 100 other environmentally-friendly ways to sell CDs that haven't previously been thought about. The amount of pure plastic jewel cases that are used in a single day is in the millions. We came up with a better solution and the size of a crisp packet turned out to be perfect for holding a CD," he said.

The band, which has a distribution deal with Universal, consists of Alida Stadler, a drummer and music teacher, guitarist Mat Wood who also works as a sound engineer, and Mr Theron, a financial analyst for an investment bank. Over the years they have developed a "green aspect" to their lyrics.

The theme of the single, which will be released in March, focuses on the damaging effects of the world's carbon footprint on the planet's natural resources. "I wrote the song and at the back of my mind was the idea that people were destroying the world," Mr Theron said.

The video, currently being edited, features a man returning from a future laid waste by decades of damage, to warn mankind of the destruction. " We wanted to remind people of what they're doing and say that if you continue with this, what is going to happen?" Mr Theron said.

"We... show people that in a 100 years the world could be a completely different place where people have to wear gas masks."

He added that the group decided to package the song in a crisp package to make a bold environmental statement. "Crisp packets were hard to recycle because they are made from a combination of plastic and aluminum and they are expensive to separate," he said. "They take ages to biodegrade in a landfill site so they are durable and the perfect shape for a CD case. When you turn them inside out, you can't see the brand and we stuck a recyclable label on the front with the band and single's name on it."

The packets for the limited edition 3,000 CDs were collected by Ms Stadler, who teaches at Curwen Primary School in Newham, east London, from her class of 10-year-olds.