Kia plans to use recycled plastic, from a 55-tonne haul reclaimed from the Pacific Ocean, in its new EV models.
The record-breaking amount of plastic reclaimed by Kia’s global partner, The Ocean Cleanup, marks the next phase in a seven-year global partnership agreed in April 2022.
Through this agreement Kia integrates recycled ocean plastic harvested by the non-profit project into its value chain process.
The Ocean Cleanup landed its latest catch at Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada. It was removed from the Pacific Ocean using The Ocean Cleanup’s System 002 extraction technology following travelling through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP).
Recycling will begin shortly, and Kia will use some of the material in future models.
Kia has implemented 30 sustainable solutions in various product areas. In the EV9, the automaker has included what it calls its 10 ‘must have’ sustainability items.
The recycled plastic and bio-based made components in the EV9 weigh around 34kg.
“Initiatives such as this one perfectly align with Kia’s transition to a sustainable mobility solutions provider and our Plan S strategy, through which we embrace the needs of our customers and the protection of our environment by acting as a responsible corporate citizen,” said, Senior Vice President and Head of the Global Brand & CX Division at Kia, Charles Ryu.
