The Ocean Cleanup and Kia announce Global Partnership
Back to press- Kia signs a seven-year Global Partnership deal with The Ocean Cleanup, the non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic
- Kia will be providing funds and in-kind contributions for ocean operations and for the construction of Interceptor Original river cleaning devices
- Through this partnership, Kia intends to integrate recycled ocean plastic harvested by The Ocean Cleanup into Kia’s value chain process
- This partnership becomes an integral part of Kia’s corporate vision to become a ‘Sustainable Mobility Solutions Provider.’
(Seoul and Rotterdam) April 28, 2022 – Kia Corporation and The Ocean Cleanup have formally commenced a seven-year cooperation to explore innovative ways to co-create solutions that will support a more sustainable future.
Ho Sung Song, President and CEO of Kia Corporation, and Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, attended a signing ceremony at Kia’s Headquarters in Seoul on the 27th of April, to officially confirm the global partnership between Kia and The Ocean Cleanup.
The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization based in the Netherlands, developing and scaling technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal by taking a two-sided approach: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup is developing large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ Solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean.
Seen as an essential initiative in Kia’s journey towards a sustainable future, Kia will support The Ocean Cleanup financially to initiate ocean and river cleanup projects, and also create a resource circulation system that will help avoid harvested 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.
For seven years, Kia will support The Ocean Cleanup as an official “Global Partner” via financial contributions and in-kind supplies to support ocean operations and the construction of the various river cleaning devices – The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor Solutions. In addition, Kia will also supply four electric vehicles, including one EV6 and three Niro EVs, to the organization’s headquarters in the Netherlands. In return, The Ocean Cleanup will supply usable fractions of the collected plastic and share the organization’s research results and relevant data on reducing plastic pollution with Kia.
Ho Sung Song, President and CEO of Kia Corporation, commented, “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,” and added, “Kia will continue to make inspirational movements through open partnerships with various partners with innovative technologies and ideas like The Ocean Cleanup.”
“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 that we can inspire others to do the same,” said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, “This cooperation is the next step in our efforts to prevent that our catch does not end up back in the environment while using its value to support our cleanup efforts further.”
This partnership is one of the key strategies in Kia’s corporate vision to build a sustainable future for mobility. Kia plans to increase its percentage of plastic re-use to 20 percent by 2030 and expects to further contribute to environmental protection by establishing and activating a “Virtuous Recycling Loop” to minimize climate impact when disposing of vehicles.
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About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal by taking a two-pronged approach: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup is developing large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced through DNV’s chain of custody model to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ Solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 100. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit: theoceancleanup.com and follow @theoceancleanup on social media.
About Kia Corporation
Kia (www.kia.com) is a global mobility brand with a vision to create sustainable mobility solutions for consumers, communities, and societies around the world. Founded in 1944, Kia has been providing mobility solutions for more than 75 years. With 52,000 employees worldwide, a presence in more than 190 markets, and manufacturing facilities in six countries, the company today sells around three million vehicles a year. Kia is spearheading the popularization of electrified and battery electric vehicles and developing a growing range of mobility services, encouraging millions of people around the world to explore the best ways of getting around. The company’s brand slogan – ‘Movement that inspires’ – reflects Kia’s commitment to inspire consumers through its products and services.
For more information, visit the Kia Global Media Center at www.kianewscenter.com