Kia Will Use Recycled Plastic From The Pacific For Its Future EVs

Kia intends to use recycled plastic from a 55-tonne haul recovered from the Pacific Ocean in its new electric vehicles, Automotive News reported.

The Ocean Cleanup, Kia's global partner, reclaimed a record-breaking amount of plastic, marking the next phase in a seven-year global partnership announced in April 2022.

Kia incorporates recycled ocean plastic harvested by the non-profit project into its value chain process as part of this agreement. The Ocean Cleanup landed its latest catch in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Following its passage through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), it was extracted from the Pacific Ocean using The Ocean Cleanup's System 002 extraction technology.

Recycling will begin soon, and some of the material will be used in future Kia models.

Kia has implemented 30 sustainable solutions across multiple product lines. The EV9 includes what the automaker refers to as its "ten must-have" sustainability features that include bioplastics, Post-consumer material (PCM) plastic, Post-consumer material (PCM) plastic, Recycled PET fabric, Recycled PET carpet, Bio polyurethane foam, Bio paint , BTX free paint, Recycled PET yarn and Recycled PET felt.

The EV9's recycled plastic and bio-based components weigh around 34kg.
According to  Charles Ryu, Senior Vice President and Head of the Global Brand & CX Division at Kia, this Initiatives perfectly align with Kia's transition to a sustainable mobility solutions provider.