In this last blog post, I would like to highlight the most significant factor that contributes to pollution in the K-pop industry. Consumerism has always been the largest contributor to environmental pollution in many industries and K-pop is no different. To start this off, I would like to briefly introduce how the industry on its own can contribute to environmental pollution through fans as consumers. 

Firstly, fans can get a chance to chat with their idols via video calls through winning fan sign events. In order to be one of the lucky winners, fans would need to spend an amount on albums so that they can get higher chances of winning. These albums would sometimes be disposed of after the event and the manner in which they are disposed of can be pollutive in nature as it contributes to the landfill. Additionally, these albums are not made of biodegradable materials, most of them are composed of glossy paper which may not be entirely biodegradable also the compact discs (CDs) which come together with the album are made of polycarbonate plastic. Polycarbonate plastics can threaten not only the environment but also human health concerns. The release of the additives found in these plastic products can be toxic to the environment, especially if these products are not disposed of properly (Hahladakis et al., 2018). At the same time, these K-pop albums then contain a lot of these non-biodegradable elements and the neglected state of how they are disposed of once done can lead to the release of the harmful toxins residing in the plastics. As these K-pop fans continue consuming these products at an alarming rate given the continued rise of the industry, I fear that there would continue to be more pollution issues within and beyond the industry. 

Reference:

Hahladakis, J. N., Velis, C. A., Weber, R., Iacovidou, E. and Purnell, P. (2018). An overview of chemical additives present in plastics: Migration, release, fate and environmental impact during their use, disposal and recycling. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 344. pp. 179-199. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.10.014

K-pop also has a lot of influence in the skincare and cosmetics industry. As a result, it is clear that the Korean cosmetics market is expanding quickly as a result of rising consumer interest and correspondingly rising manufacturing costs (Park, 2015). As the cosmetics industry increases, it is also noted that there has been an increase in harmful ingredients that can be found in these products. These ingredients not only pose a threat to the consumer in the long run but also to the environment. This can be seen in the case of microbeads from cosmetic products. While these microbeads found in cosmetic products do not necessarily contribute a high percentage to microplastic pollution, they are still significant enough to threaten the environment. This is because when these microplastics are being discharged into the water bodies, they are then partially blocked by the wastewater treatment plants (Guerranti, et al., 2019). As such, it might enter waters that have been deemed safe for human consumption. 

In addition to microbeads, hazardous metals are also present in small concentrations in cosmetics, with Co, Cr, and Ni accounting for the majority of allergenic metals and particularly prevalent in coloured eye shadows (Bocca et al., 2014). Though the highest concentrations can be seen in some cases in eye shadows imported from China. Nevertheless, it is obvious that there are still pollutants in our makeup. Consumers unwittingly put these pollutants on their eyes, faces, and lips since they are not labelled on items that contain them. Although the amounts applied to the skin or lips each day may be minimal, regulatory and standard-setting organizations sometimes overlook the cumulative effects of exposure from other sources, such as cosmetics (Bocca et al., 2014). Numerous cosmetic goods are being used in combination, which might result in a distinct exposure pattern and health consequences due to the unbounded and unknowable quantity of cosmetic items on the market. As a result, there is a need to make cosmetics safety essential in order to avoid unwanted exposure to such pollutants. 

References:

Bocca, B., Pino, A., Alimonti, A. and Forte, G. (2014). Toxic metals contained in cosmetics: A status report. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. 68(3). pp. 447-467. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2014.02.003

Guerranti, C., Martellini, T., Perra, G., Scopetani, C. and Cincinelli, A. (2019). Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology. 68. pp. 75-79. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2019.03.007

Park, Y. S. (2015). Does the Rise of the Korean Wave Lead to Cosmetics Export? Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business.  2(4). pp. 13-20. doi: 10.13106/jafeb.2015.vol2.no4.13.

One of the key channels for K-pop’s international diffusion is its music videos, which frequently take on the form of parables about the consumption of fashion. Fans would follow their idols and observe their style, they also then try to emulate and consume what they see their idols wearing (Kim, 2019). Hence, by wanting to emulate the same fashion, they would then turn to fast fashion as a means to access such style.

Shein is one of the current fastest-growing fast fashion brand, its cheap prices enable consumers to make impulsive purchases and hauls (Rajvanshi, 2023). As it expands, it shows how the industry has an effect on the environment, as seen by the use of chemicals in material creation and the emissions of carbon during production, distribution, and consumption (Niinimaki et al., 2020). Environmental injustice is evident in developing nations, who generate a substantial portion of the materials and clothing while simultaneously bearing the cost of the industrialized nations’ use of these items. However, because of globalization and the ambiguity surrounding the procurement and processing of raw materials, it is also challenging to accurately quantify the environmental effects of the clothes production process. 

According to Niinimaki et al. (2020), textiles actually produce the most greenhouse emissions per unit of materials. The high energy consumption in the fashion business contributes to its large carbon footprint, which is determined by the energy source. Manufacturing and consumer usage of textiles are both connected with high energy requirements and CO2 emissions. However, the initial extraction of fibres uses the most energy and produces the most CO2 throughout the garment life cycle, especially for synthetic fibres like acrylic, which come from fossil fuels (Niinimmaki et al., 2020). Overall, the fashion industry generates a lot of carbon emissions which can be seen in its global supply chain, from production and manufacturing to consumption. Hence, fans need to be mindful of the manner they are consuming the K-pop industry, as the large influence of this pop culture can create a lot of environmental pollution. 

References:

Kim, S. Y. (2019). Beauty and the Waste: Fashioning Idols and the Ethics of Recycling in Korean Pop Music Videos. Fashion Theory, 25(1). pp. 53-73. doi:https://doi-org.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/10.1080/1362704X.2019.1581001

Niinimaki, K., Peters, G., Dahlbo, H., Perry, P., Rissanen, T. and Gwilt, A. (2020). The environmental price of fast fashion. Nature Reviews Eart & Environment. 1, pp. 189-200.

Ravanshi, A. (2023). Shein is the World’s Most Popular Fashion Brand – at a Huge Cost to Us All. Time. Retrieved from: https://time.com/6247732/shein-climate-change-labor-fashion/ (Accessed: 27 March 2023)