Over one million pounds of plastic removed from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Kia Corporation and The Ocean Cleanup have celebrated a significant milestone in their partnership aimed at addressing plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. The collaboration, established in 2022, has contributed to the removal of over one million pounds of plastic waste from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), an area estimated to span 1.6 million square kilometers. This plastic extraction was carried out by The Ocean Cleanup’s System 03 vessel, which recently returned to the port of San Francisco.

The partnership’s objective is to tackle the growing plastic pollution problem, specifically targeting the GPGP, the largest accumulation of floating waste globally. Since its inception, The Ocean Cleanup has executed 23 operational trips and more than 100 plastic extraction missions. The removal of over one million pounds of plastic is estimated to have addressed approximately 0.5% of the floating plastic in the GPGP.

The Ocean Cleanup is now working toward its long-term goal of cleaning the GPGP, with a timeline that has been shortened from an initial estimate of 10 years to a more ambitious goal of 5 years. The organization attributes this accelerated timeline to recent technological improvements and data collected during current operations.

In 2025, The Ocean Cleanup plans to launch a new initiative designed to locate “hotspots,” or areas of intense plastic accumulation, within the GPGP. The objective of this initiative is to enhance the efficiency and impact of future cleanup efforts.

Kia has also integrated recycled plastics into its latest vehicle models, such as the all-electric EV9, which features recycled fishing nets in its interior carpet and recycled plastic bottles in its seat fabric. The EV6 incorporates recycled materials in its cloth and matting. Additionally, Kia has announced a target to use 20% recycled plastics in its vehicles by 2030. As part of this partnership, Kia is working to develop new products using plastic waste recovered from the ocean, with the first of these, a car accessory for the Kia EV3, expected to launch in late 2024.

Kia’s partnership with The Ocean Cleanup is part of the company’s broader strategy to become a sustainable mobility solutions provider.