Kia announces ‘rubbish’ new accessory for EV3

Kia has developed the world’s first car accessory made from plastic reclaimed from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP).

The unique boot liner was developed as part of the car makers’ ongoing partnership with The Ocean Cleanup non-profit organisation.

While many manufacturers, including Kia, already use recycled plastic from drinks bottles and fishing nets in their vehicles, the limited edition accessory for the EV3 is the first time that waste reclaimed from the GPGP has been used in a car.

The GPGP is a mass of discarded plastic thought to cover up to 1.6 million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean, weighing as much as 100 million tonnes. The Ocean Cleanup is working to develop technology to remove this and other plastic from the world’s oceans, and Kia’s new accessory has come from that waste.

Taking inspiration from Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy, the trunk liner’s geometric wave surface pattern is meant to be reminiscent of waves and the flow of rubbish into a collecting area, echoing The Ocean Cleanup’s process for extracting marine plastic. Each liner also features a QR code linked to detailed information about the product’s development and the partnership.

The limited edition liner will go on sale in selected markets, including the UK, alongside the new EV3, which is due to launch towards the end of 2024.

Charles Ryu, executive vice president of Kia, commented: “This partnership is not only a testament to our shared commitment to environmental stewardship and innovation, but worldwide movement to create a cleaner, healthier oceans for future generations.

“As the first genuine Kia accessory made using reclaimed ocean plastic, we are proud to see tangible progress made toward creating a circular resource system for ocean plastic. We will leverage the lessons learned during the recycling and product development process to continue to manufacture useful and beneficial products for our customers using ocean plastic retrieved and provided by The Ocean Cleanup.”

Kia aims to increase its use of recycled plastic in its vehicles to more than 20% by 2030.