In recent years, the green trend has entered the Korean K-pop entertainment industry. Recently, HYBE, the management company of popular groups such as BTS and NewJeans, announced the release of an eco-friendly album. Apart from using more sustainable materials for the album packaging and contents, they will even introduce photo cards with a 'water-soluble coating.

Photo Cards Boost Sales but Album Bodies Turn into Waste

The K-pop industry thrives on the culture of photo cards. Companies release different versions of photo cards through various channels for the same album to boost sales. For fans who aim to collect a complete set of photo cards or those who wish to collect photo cards featuring their favorite members, it not only requires financial capability to purchase multiple albums but also a stroke of luck. Some fans even purchase a large number of albums to increase their chances of winning a spot at idol 'fan signing events.

However, once fans collect the desired contents, these albums purchased repeatedly may end up being discarded on the roadside, contributing to wastefulness and increasing garbage.

Therefore, on March 18th, BTS's management company, HYBE, announced that digital albums released by their artists on the Weverse platform will adopt a more sustainable approach. These digital albums, also known as "Weverse versions," will no longer include physical CDs. Instead, they will provide a digital card containing a QR code. By scanning the QR code, fans can access the music or photo contents on specific apps or platforms. While this design initially seems environmentally friendly, record companies often include random photo cards or other items to meet fans' collecting desires.

HYBE plans to use recyclable materials or paper for both the album casing and contents. They aim to replace the outer packaging film with biodegradable plastic and switch the plastic coating on the album casing and photo cards to a water-soluble coating, making the recycling process more convenient.

While some people agree that these measures are more environmentally friendly, they have sparked controversy. Fans argue that they will properly collect photo cards, and environmental initiatives should not jeopardize the preservation of these cards. They suggest that record companies could address this issue by modifying the randomness of photo cards, selling them directly, or improving the rules for fan signing event lotteries, which would effectively reduce the waste from repeated album purchases.

No K-pop on a Dead Planet

K-pop Sweeps the Globe: According to The Korea Times, South Korean lawmaker Woo Won-shik cited data from the South Korean Ministry of Environment, revealing that in 2022 alone, South Korea used 801.5 tons of plastic to produce physical albums. Compared to six years ago, this figure has surged at least 14 times.

However, estimating from album sales, the actual plastic usage could be far greater. Taking HYBE, one of South Korea's Big Four entertainment companies, as an example, the company's 2022 Sustainability Management Report indicated that approximately 894.6 tons of plastic were used for albums and packaging released in 2022.

K-pop Fans Hope for a Greener Wave: Nurul Sarifah, a K-pop fan from Jakarta, Indonesia, co-founded the organization 'Kpop4Planet' with friends in 2021. Their aim is to unite the power of fans to support K-pop while also raising awareness about climate crisis.

The 'No K-pop on a Dead Planet' campaign initiated by Kpop4Planet collected 8,000 discarded albums from fans last year and returned them to management companies, urging businesses to address the waste issue and reduce plastic usage.

Kpop4Planet suggests that record companies offer a 'green album option,' where fans can purchase a set number of albums, for example, 30, but receive only a fraction, such as 3 physical albums. This approach would boost sales for their favorite artists, increase the chances of participating in idol fan signing events through lottery draws, and minimize the creation of unnecessary waste.

Reference:
*The Korea Times（2023.10.22），Plastic use for K-pop albums increases 14 times over last 6 years  
*Kpopmap（2024.3.18），New Age Music Appreciation: HYBE's Sustainable Changes
*Naver（2024.3.18），포토카드 물에 녹는다…하이브, 위버스 앨범 재활용·생분해 소재 도입
*Euronews（2022.11.28），'No K-pop on a dead planet': Meet the stans taking up climate activism  
*CBC（2023.8.12），Why some K-pop fans are calling for more environmentally friendly practices in the industry
*International Business Times（2023.10.24），Environment Suffering From K-Pop As Plastic Use Up 14 Times; Hybe Used 894.6 Tons In 2022
*연합뉴스（2023.10.22），'하이브만 연간 900t'…최근 6년간 'K팝 플라스틱' 14배로 늘어

Source: Environmental Information Center