Kia, in a partnership with a group developing products to clean up the plastic in ocean waters, said it will offer what it calls the world’s first accessory made with recycled plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
The South Korean automaker will offer the limited-edition trunk liner as an option for its new EV3 in selected markets.
It worked with the nonprofit group The Ocean Cleanup to develop the accessory from waste plastic the group took from the swirling mass of plastic debris in the North Pacific Ocean.
Kia started working with the group in 2022 as it sought to use more sustainable materials in its products. The nonprofit works to develop and scale solutions to rid oceans of waste plastic.
The trunk liner for the compact EV3 electric SUV sports a “geometric wave” pattern to signify its material source and a QR code that tells the story of its development and the nonprofit’s partnership with Kia. It’s made of 40% recycled ocean plastic.
Kia says it’s already been incorporating recycled plastic in its vehicles, including in its EV9, whose flooring is made from recycled fishnets and its seat fabric from plastic bottles. It says it’s pledged to include increasingly more sustainable materials and increase recycled plastic use to more than 20% by 2030.
