Kia Corporation has introduced a groundbreaking automotive accessory made from plastic extracted from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), marking a major achievement in its ongoing collaboration with The Ocean Cleanup.
This announcement showcases Kia’s commitment to sustainability, as the company continues its transformation toward becoming a leading provider of eco-friendly mobility solutions.
The new accessory, a limited-edition trunk liner for the Kia EV3, is the first-ever car component made from ocean plastic collected by The Ocean Cleanup, an organization dedicated to removing plastic waste from oceans. The liner, which incorporates 40% recycled ocean plastic, will be available in selected markets as part of the EV3’s market launch.
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Kia’s partnership with The Ocean Cleanup, established in 2022, is central to its broader efforts to promote sustainable practices. Charles Ryu, Executive Vice President at Kia, emphasized the importance of the collaboration: “This partnership is not only a testament to our shared commitment to environmental stewardship but a worldwide movement to create cleaner, healthier oceans for future generations.”
The trunk liner’s design, inspired by Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ philosophy, features a ‘geometric wave’ pattern that reflects the process of collecting marine plastic. It includes a QR code linking customers to detailed information on the product’s development and the Kia-Ocean Cleanup partnership.
Boyan Slat, CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, praised the collaboration: “We are grateful to have a visionary partner in Kia, who shares our vision of turning ocean plastic from trash to treasure.”
Kia plans to continue incorporating recycled ocean plastic into future products, furthering its sustainability goals and commitment to creating a circular resource system for ocean waste.
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