Kia joins Dutch campaign on plastic wastes from sea

Kia has partnered up with The Ocean Cleanup, a Netherlands-based nonprofit engineering environmental organization, to remove plastic wastes from the sea for a sustainable Earth, according to Kia on Thursday.

The Ocean Cleanup develops cleanup systems to remove floating pieces of plastic caught in what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch -- a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean -- and also scalable solutions to efficiently intercept plastic in rivers before it reaches the oceans.

With this partnership, Kia plans to financially support the organization’s project to rid the oceans of plastic and establish a resource cyclical system by recycling collected plastic wastes and using them in its vehicles.

Kia will also provide the organization with four electric vehicles and steel needed to make its Interceptor, a garbage collection vessel helping to clean up polluted rivers.

“Through this partnership, we will not only clean up the ocean, but also provide a sustainable solution to recycling plastic,’ said Boyan Slat, chief executive officer of The Ocean Cleanup.

“Kia’s vision of a sustainable future is not just about changing our products and services, but also promoting positive changes across our industry. We will continue to create a movement that inspires many people through open partnerships with various partners with innovative technologies and ideas,” Kia CEO Song Ho-sung said.

Kia plans to increase its use of recycled plastic in finished cars to more than 20 percent by 2030.

It also hopes to contribute to protecting the environment by actively recycling used car batteries and plastics from scrap cars.

Last November, Kia presented a new vision to become a sustainable mobility solution provider along with its all-electric concept car EV9, demonstrating Kia’s eagerness to achieve such a vision.

Sustainability was taken into account not only in the drive, but also in the interior of EV9. Kia used vegan leather for the interior and recycled fishing nets for the carpeting.

Kia is planning to gradually increase the use of eco-friendly materials in the interior of its vehicles.

By Hong Yoo (yoohong@heraldcorp.com)