[Arbor Day] How K-pop is going green

[식목일] 팬뿐 아니라 지구도 같이 즐겨요! K팝 업계에 부는 친환경 열풍

Today is Arbor Day here in Korea.
Korea has been celebrating April 5th as Arbor Day since 1946, to promote the importance of trees, forests, tree-planting, and protecting the environment.
In light of Arbor Day, our culture correspondent Song Yoo-jin looked into what kind of efforts are being made in the cultural sector, specifically in the world of K-pop to protect our planet Earth.

Did you know that simply buying your favorite K-pop albums or streaming their music can have a big impact on the environment?
According to the Environment Ministry, K-pop companies used over 800 tons of plastic for physical albums, a 14-fold increase from 2017.
And it's known that streaming music for five hours online emits more carbon dioxide than one physical album coming from data centers and servers.

But there's hope.
The K-pop industry is going green, led by the fans.

"K-pop isn't just about management agencies and artists providing content; the fans play a huge role as you need a dedicated fanbase to become a global star. We're seeing fans come together, speaking up about social issues, particularly when it comes to the environment. That's why I believe there's a growing awareness within the industry about these issues."

One of them is Kpop4Planet, an online platform launched in 2021, by fans to raise awareness about climate change.

"There's quite a diverse range of age groups among K-pop fans but a lot of them are in their twenties or are teens like me. We're going to be the ones living through this era of climate crisis, so I think this is why many of us are recognizing that this is truly our issue and speaking out with more passion."

For the past three years, they've been starting petitions and campaigns demanding K-pop labels to offer albums with digital download options and music streaming platforms to opt for data centers using renewable energy.

"Fans often buy a large quantity of albums to help their artists win year-end awards and weekly music shows. And fans of popular artists buy hundreds of albums for a chance to participate in fan sign events. Albums often include random photo cards and other merchandise, encouraging fans to buy them even more."

These efforts are paying off.
This company in Seoul, for example, is the first in the world to create a "platform album."
Unlike the thick albums we're used to, it minimized the packaging, with the majority of content accessible by scanning the QR code inside.

"An album usually consists of photo cards, photo books, and a CD. We think it's important to balance going green with promoting the artist through this merchandise. Our goal was to use eco-friendly materials, such as paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for photo cards that fans love the most and upload the rest of the content online."

Through these efforts, K-pop is evolving into something that not only fans, but Mother Earth can enjoy.

Song Yoo-jin, Arirang News.

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2024-04-05, 21:00 (KST)

Видео [Arbor Day] How K-pop is going green канала Arirang News