While CD sales have plummeted globally due to an increase in streaming services, there is still one industry that sells millions of CDs every year — and it's causing outrage among fans due to the incredible amount of waste.
A K-pop fan took to Reddit to call for major industry change while sharing photos of hundreds of discarded albums.
K-pop has gained global popularity in recent years, and fans are flocking to buy CDs by the millions but not for the music. The CDs contain collectible bonus items, including photo cards, stickers, posters, and postcards. This attracts millions of fans who are in search of rare photocards of their favorite K-pop artists.
The CD packaging and often the CDs themselves are then discarded, resulting in a growing mountain of plastic waste.
"I no longer consider selling millions of albums as an achievement if in the end the albums only end up on the streets like this," wrote the K-pop fan.
Marketing strategies like this one by the K-pop industry encourage people to buy more and more items in the hope of finding rare memorabilia. But this is contributing to a lot of waste every year. According to France 24, more than 115 million K-pop CDs were sold in 2023, up 50% from the year before.
"The biggest reason for the increase in the sales appears to be the companies' fandom marketing, which pushes K-pop fans to collect more random goods through album purchases," said the Korea Consumer Agency, per the Korea Times.
Plastic waste is a big issue globally. Unlike other materials, plastic is not biodegradable and can take up to a thousand years to break down. As plastic builds up in the environment, it pollutes our land and oceans, negatively impacting wildlife and soil health, as well as poisoning underground water, which can be damaging to our health.
Plastics also shed microplastics as they break down. Microplastics are now widespread, having been found in some of the most remote places on Earth. There is a lot of worry that they could be causing health problems as they have been found inside every organ in the human body. Microplastics also act as vessels for bacteria, transporting them across large distances which could contribute to the spread of diseases.
"It is so environmentally irresponsible," wrote one commenter in response to the OP's post.
"I love photocards but I'd prefer if they didn't exist so such waste wouldn't happen," another fan said.
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