Fans Call on HYBE to Tackle Plastic Album Pollution Ahead of UN’s 5th Plastic Treaty Talks in Korea

Leading up to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental meeting in November to address plastic waste, K-pop fans are playing a prominent role in the battle against plastic pollution. In a unique form of protest, fans gathered at HYBE’s headquarters in Seoul, the label for popular group BTS, to promote environmentally-conscious practices within the K-pop industry.

The “Plastic Album Sins”campaign, initiated by Kpop4Planet, put on a powerful show showcasing puppets as a representation of fans breaking away from manipulative album marketing strategies. Kpop4Planet asserts that K-pop entertainment companies are resorting to unethical marketing techniques like random photocard systems, fan sign lotteries, and numerous album versions to coerce fans into purchasing in bulk. One such company, HYBE, a major K-pop entertainment company with a whopping 5.25 trillion KRW (equivalent to approximately 3.9 billion USD) in total assets, is among those employing these deceitful marketing tactics.

Despite HYBE’s ‘vision for Sustainable Entertainment’ stated in its 2023 Sustainability Report, the company’s actions led to a significant 77.9% rise in the use of plastic for album production between 2022-2023. Additionally, the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability (KCGS) rated HYBE’s environmental performance as the lowest among the four major entertainment companies.

According to Kpop4Planet’s survey of 14,000 fans from around the world and Korea, 36.5% of K-pop fans feel compelled to purchase multiple albums in order to acquire photocards – individual photos of K-pop group members included in CD album packages – while 27.7% buy albums in hopes of increasing their chances of attending exclusive events such as fan signings with their favorite artists. This data highlights the necessity for a fundamental change in K-pop marketing tactics.

According to Korean parliamentary sources, the production of plastic waste by entertainment companies has risen by 14 times in the past six years. Despite the rise of digital streaming, the demand for physical K-pop albums has also significantly increased, with over 116 million copies sold for the top 400 alone in 2023.

Due to HYBE’s impressive physical album sales growth in 2023, totaling 43.6 million, and its notable influence in the global entertainment sector, the company bears a social responsibility to work towards eliminating plastic pollution, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting sustainability in the entertainment industry.

Despite the launch of the No K-pop on a Dead Planet campaign by Kpop4Planet in 2021, the industry has only made small strides towards sustainability. Although some measures have been taken, such as the implementation of FSC paper, digital albums, and dissolving photocards, these actions have not adequately addressed the main issue of excessive plastic waste and instead focus on surface-level solutions.

This pattern is not limited to just K-pop. Renowned musicians such as Taylor Swift have also been subject to backlash for engaging in similar practices, and fellow artist Billie Eilish has openly denounced the entertainment industry’s emphasis on sales numbers over environmental accountability.

According to Kurt Langer, a member of the Board of Directors for the Music Sustainability Alliance, the current practice of releasing multiple versions of the same album in order to entice fans to purchase more than one copy goes against the industry’s efforts towards sustainability. This strategy not only negatively impacts the environment, but also creates economic divisions among fans by implying that the most devoted supporters are those who can afford to buy numerous versions of the album.

In August 2024, a global online campaign on Twitter brought together over 12,000 K-pop enthusiasts from both South Korea and around the world. Their aim was to urge the entertainment industry to put an end to the practice of pressuring fans to buy large quantities of albums. According to voters, the most disliked marketing strategy used by companies like HYBE is the use of album purchases as a means of entering fan sign events (42.8%).

“According to Mathieu Berbiguier, ENHYPEN fan and Visiting Assistant Professor in Korean Studies at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, the recent efforts made by companies to use eco-friendly materials, such as soy ink, for their albums do not fully reflect their understanding of what fans truly want. Instead, entertainment companies should reconsider the methods for fans to attend fan sign events and introduce alternative systems that do not encourage the generation of waste in order to complete their photocard collection.”

After conducting an online Twitter poll, the group composed an open letter to HYBE, addressing the concerns of fans and urging the company to discontinue marketing tactics that deceive fans into purchasing multiple copies of the same album. As of now, the entertainment company has not provided a response.

“Dayeon Lee, the campaigner for Kpop4Planet in South Korea, expressed her hopes that HYBE will utilize the momentum of the climate crisis and the imminent UN plastics meeting in Busan to take accountability and lead the necessary change.”

“Lee emphasized the important role that fans play in the success of the K-pop industry, stating that HYBE should take their voices into consideration. Lee and other fans are determined to continue advocating for an end to misleading marketing tactics until HYBE responds to their demand.”

Similarly, Kpop4Planet is a climate initiative started in 2021 by devoted K-pop enthusiasts who are passionate about the environment and their beloved K-pop idols.

Kpop4Planet is the source.