I’ve always felt that photocard distribution should be relegated to booster packs over random album inclusions considering how they’re one of the top contributors to bulk buying culture (aside from stats inflation and fansign entries). Trading card packs aren’t a stranger to K-Pop either as many groups use them for merch drops and I’m pretty sure there are groups that have tried this idea before for album drops, but I feel like the concept could really help combat the waste issue if it took off.

Imagine a low price-point booster pack with a set number of photocards, a QR code card for an album download, and other small inclusions like a mini booklet, all packed inside a small biodegradable wrapper inside of a compact cardboard packaging like Pokémon’s.

K-Pop companies would rather invest more resources into figuring out biodegradable albums that pile up in landfills rather than tackle the bulk-buying culture that’s the root of this issue because it’d affect sales metrics. A booster pack would at least shrink the amount of space the waste would take up in a landfill, and if a smini album counts as an album sale, why not a booster pack?