Hyundai Motor is celebrating World Oceans Day by announcing the results of its first big cleanup activity of 2022, organised together with its partner Healthy Seas in the Greek island of Ithaca.

The location had previously seen another cleanup attempt from the two organisations in 2021, claimed to be the biggest ever in the coastal area around Ithaca, Greece. However, an abandoned fishing farm was still causing environmental problems in the region, as waste products such as broken pipes, ropes and other materials continue to float in the ocean.

This time, Healthy Seas and Hyundai have returned to Ithaca to complete this cleanup. And this second attempt is said to have had an even bigger impact on the island and its local community - a total of 18.5 tons of ghost nets and five tons of marine litter are said to have been removed from this second effort.

Hyundai additionally states that the waste retrieved from the oceans will be regenerated, together with other nylon waste by Healthy Seas' founding partner Aquafil into Econyl yarn. This yarn will be used as material for the floor mats for the all-electric Ioniq 5. Hyundai also plans to use the material in other future vehicles, as well as to produce branded products and gifts.