Kia partners with The Ocean Cleanup for solutions to plastic pollution

MANILA: Kia Corporation and The Ocean Cleanup have officially launched a seven-year partnership to find new ways to co-develop solutions that will help create a more sustainable future.

Kia Corporation President and CEO Ho Sung Song and The Ocean Cleanup Founder and CEO Boyan Slat were present at the signing ceremony at Kia's headquarters in Seoul, South Korea last Wednesday, April 27 to formally ratify their collaboration.

The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization based in the Netherlands. The group explores and implements solutions to eliminate plastic from the world's oceans by minimizing inflow via rivers and cleaning up what has already deposited in the ocean. It is working on large-scale methods to successfully collect plastic for cleanup on a regular basis. In order to reduce the influx of plastic via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has created Interceptor Solutions to recover river plastic before it enters the ocean.

Kia will support The Ocean Cleanup financially in implementing ocean and river cleanup programs, as well as develop a resource circulation system that will help prevent collected plastics ending up back in the environment by integrating part of the catch from The Ocean Cleanup's innovative devices into Kia's production and value chain process.

“Plastic is not inherently a bad material, but we must use it responsibly. We demonstrate how we can turn pollution into a solution by launching applications that help clean the oceans and simultaneously — together with our partner Kia — provide proof that recycled plastic can be used sustainably. I hope we can inspire others to do the same. This cooperation is the next step in our efforts to ensure that our catch does not end up back in the environment while using its value to support our cleanup efforts further,” Slat said.

As an official global partner for seven years, Kia will support The Ocean Cleanup, providing financial and in-kind support for ocean operations as well as the development of Interceptor Solutions. Kia will also provide four electric vehicles to the organization's headquarters in the Netherlands, including one EV6 and three Niro EVs. In exchange, The Ocean Cleanup will provide usable portions of the recovered plastic and will share with Kia its research findings and pertinent data on minimizing plastic pollution.

“The key to Kia’s vision for a sustainable future is not just to change the product and service areas, but to make positive changes for the planet. Kia will continue to make inspirational movements through open partnerships with various partners with organizations like The Ocean Cleanup that have innovative technologies and ideas,” Song stated.

This cooperation is one of Kia's core strategies for creating a more sustainable mobility future. Kia aims to expand its plastic reuse percentage to 20% by 2030, and hopes to contribute even more to environmental conservation by building and operating a "Virtuous Recycling Loop" to reduce climate impact when disposing of vehicles.

Last November, Kia unveiled the all-new Niro at the 2021 Seoul Mobility Show, demonstrating its commitment to moving toward a more sustainable future. To reduce waste and minimize environmental impact, the Niro was built with sustainable materials made from recycled wallpaper, eucalyptus leaves, and water-based paint. Kia intends to continue extending its eco-friendly materials throughout the vehicle, with the goal of eventually eliminating the usage of animal leather in all models.

Photo from Kia Corporation

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