Most K-pop singers release physical albums when they release songs. These physical albums usually include photos of the singers, a CD, stickers, etc. Many fans buy albums because of this. Above all, photocards are very popular. A photocard is a paper card the size of a credit card, with a selfie of a singer printed on one side and a message printed on the other. Usually, an album comes with one or two photocards. The resale price of popular photocards can increase by tens of thousands of won, resulting in fans exchanging photocards or purchasing them from each other.

However, as the popularity of such photocards rises, criticism of the resulting environmental pollution increases. This is because many fans buy dozens of albums to obtain the photocards they want, simply throwing away the albums. In the case of the CDs included, these are made of a plastic called polycarbonate, which takes hundreds of years to decompose naturally. During the incineration process disposing of this plastic, a huge amount of toxic gas is emitted. In other words, as albums are recklessly thrown away, much environmental pollution is generated.

Accordingly, a new type of album has emerged to tackle the environmental pollution caused by discarded physical albums. It is the platform album. Such albums consist of a photocard and a QR code. If you install the app and scan the QR code, you can digitally access the album, photos, songs, etc.

The biggest plus of the platform album is that it respects the environment. The platform album supports our favorite singers and enables everyone to consider the environment. If the act of discarding an album after obtaining only photocards continues as it is now, environmental pollution will accelerate further, and K-Pop may become associated with environmental pollution. So more platform albums need to be distributed. Currently, the platform album market is small, so releases are limited to only a few artists. However, if many fans show an interest in platform albums, we will be able to encounter more singers' platform album releases. Above all, it is necessary to develop an eco-friendly fan culture that respects the environment and our future.