As South Korea prepares to host international discussions on plastic waste, the spotlight is turning to an unlikely culprit: the K-pop industry. While K-pop music has taken the world by storm, the industry’s practice of producing physical CDs is drawing criticism for contributing to plastic pollution.
Many fans don’t even own CD players, relying instead on streaming services to enjoy their favorite tunes. So why the surge in CD production? The answer lies in the collectible photo cards packaged with each album. These cards, featuring images of band members, have become hot commodities among fans. But there’s a catch: each CD typically includes photos of only one member, and it’s a mystery which member you’ll get. This encourages fans to purchase multiple copies in hopes of collecting their favorite idols.
“I’m not proud of the environmental impact, but I buy several CDs because each one has different photos,” admits Kim Do-yeon, a 24-year-old K-pop enthusiast.
Environmental activists like Kim Na-yeon from the group Kpop4planet argue that this marketing strategy leads to enormous plastic waste. “Most people listen to music via streaming. They don’t even have CD players,” she points out.
Statistics back up these concerns. Physical album sales in South Korea, almost entirely CDs, have nearly tripled over the past three years, surpassing 119 million in 2023. The amount of plastic used by K-pop agencies soared to about 800 tonnes in 2022, a 14-fold increase from 2017.
Kpop4planet plans to highlight this issue during the upcoming United Nations negotiations on plastic waste. They believe that unless the industry’s marketing practices change, efforts like using recycled materials in CDs amount to greenwashing. “Most K-pop fans are young people who will be directly affected by the climate crisis,” says Kim Na-yeon.
Some K-pop agencies claim they’re making changes. HYBE, the agency behind supergroup BTS, says it plans to expand its offerings of digital albums accessed via QR codes. However, activists believe more needs to be done.
As the world grapples with environmental challenges, fans and activists alike are calling on the K-pop industry to rethink its practices. The hope is that the industry can find ways to satisfy fans’ desires without harming the planet they will inherit.
Reference(s):
K-pop CD waste draws fire as South Korea hosts plastic waste talks
cgtn.com
