Kia maps out future for ocean cleanup efforts

Kia Corporation and global partner The Ocean Cleanup have together cleared over one million pounds of plastic from the world's largest accumulation of floating waste - the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The announcement comes as the two firms see the return of their System 03 garbage collection ship to the port of San Francisco, where the first generation System 001 vessel first embarked on its maiden voyage six years ago.

Kia states that The Ocean Cleanup is aiming to clear the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within five years. The organisation will focus on a new hotspot hunting initiative that will see it targeting areas of intense plastic accumulation in the garbage patch to increase the impact of its operations from 2025.

Both Kia and The Ocean Cleanup are said to already have completed more than 100 plastic extraction missions over the past two-and-a-half years. These efforts are said to have addressed approximately 0.5% of the floating plastic pollution in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Both firms are also working to turn this plastic waste into durable, useful products. The first from this initiative is set to be a car accessory for the Kia EV3. Kia is targeting 20% use of recycled plastics in its vehicles by 2030.