HYBE Ranks 1st for ‘Environmental Pollution of the Year’ Due to Excessive Album Marketing

According to the 2024 Sustainable K-pop Awards announced by Kpop4Planet, a group of K-pop fans united to respond to the climate crisis, HYBE took the top spot for “Environmental Pollution of the Year” due to its excessive album marketing, which has worsened the climate crisis.

This is due to marketing practices by entertainment companies, such as including fan meeting entry tickets, random photo cards, and multiple versions of album covers to encourage fans to purchase multiple physical copies in order to boost initial album sales (sales in the first week after release), the organization explained.

Kpop4Planet pointed out, “Even though the culture of listening to music online has become established, the physical album sales in K-pop have actually been increasing.”

However, the agency also received praise for its “Let’s Go for Eco-Friendly Fan Meetings in the New Year” initiative, which shows hope for positive change in the industry.

In the survey, conducted by over 10,040 global K-pop fans, the second to fourth places in both categories were occupied by YG, SM, and JYP Entertainment, respectively. The poll was held online from November 16 to December 17 of last year.

Kpop4Planet held a performance this morning in front of HYBE’s headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, presenting trophies in the form of lightsticks according to the award results.

The reason why the award trophies were shaped like K-pop lightsticks, which have recently filled plazas, is also significant. Kpop4Planet explained, “The lightstick, a symbol of K-pop’s unique unity and positive influence, has long been an important item for fans, symbolizing ‘a light that never goes out.’ We will continue our campaign with fans using the lightstick as a sign of our determination to stop the environmentally harmful practice of multiple album purchases by entertainment agencies.”