Kia Assists The Ocean Cleanup in Ridding the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The global non-profit organization, The Ocean Cleanup, is pushing boundaries in its mission to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). The organization, led by Founder and CEO Boyan Slat, aims to cut the clean-up time in half, reducing it to just five years.
This ambitious goal is being driven by a partnership with Kia Corporation, which has proven the potential of sustainable solutions. The partnership, established in 2022 as a Global Mission Partner, is working towards the common goal of ridding the oceans of plastic.
Kia's support has significantly contributed to The Ocean Cleanup's efforts. The corporation's financial backing has enabled substantial plastic removal from the GPGP and facilitated innovative deployments of large-scale plastic interception systems on rivers feeding into the oceans.
One such example is the installation of Interceptor 021 near Puerto Barrios in Guatemala, the largest system The Ocean Cleanup has installed to date at 158 meters long. This interceptor helps stop plastic pollution in the Gulf of Honduras region, removing over 23,000 tons of waste so far from rivers before it can reach the ocean.
The partnership between Kia and The Ocean Cleanup is not just about clean-up, but also about prevention. Kia's recycled ocean plastics are being integrated into its sustainability initiatives, with the aim of sourcing 20% of all plastics in its vehicles from recycled materials by 2030. Kia also has broader carbon neutrality goals set for 2045.
Through this partnership, Kia is also promoting public awareness and local engagement projects, including beach cleanups and community collaboration, to bolster the global impact of The Ocean Cleanup's mission.
The joint mission exemplifies a multi-layered timeline combining immediate removal with systemic pollution prevention and circular economy goals. Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup's CEO, emphasized that the products born from this collaboration will symbolize their shared progress and the tangible impact of sustainable solutions.
Data gathered during this season's operations suggests that the GPGP could be cleaned within 10 years thanks to identified technological improvements. This optimistic outlook is a testament to the innovative partnership between Kia Corporation and The Ocean Cleanup.
Charles Ryu, Senior Vice President and Head of the Global Brand & CX Division at Kia Corporation, has congratulated The Ocean Cleanup team for their dedication and hard work in tackling plastic pollution in the GPGP. Since the establishment of the partnership in 2022, Kia's support has helped The Ocean Cleanup remove over one million pounds of plastic from the GPGP.
The Ocean Cleanup has announced a clear timeline to clean up the GPGP, with ongoing operations and upgrades to their ocean collection systems planned as of 2025. The focus is not only on removing plastic debris from the GPGP but also on preventing plastic from reaching the ocean in the first place through strategic projects such as the installation of Interceptor systems in river mouths like those in Guatemala.
Boyan Slat concluded by stating that the partnership with Kia is proving that innovation and commitment can rid the oceans of plastic and inspire others to follow. This partnership is setting a new standard for how organizations can drive real change.
- The partnership between The Ocean Cleanup and Kia Corporation, aimed at ridding the oceans of plastic, not only focuses on immediate clean-up efforts but also invests in technological improvements for environmental-science innovation that could potentially cut the clean-up time of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in half, resulting in a possible clean-up within 10 years.
- As a part of their sustainability initiatives, Kia Corporation is integrating recycled ocean plastics from The Ocean Cleanup into their vehicles, with the goal of sourcing 20% of all plastics in their vehicles from recycled materials by 2030, demonstrating their commitment to science, climate-change mitigation, and the adoption of technology for the betterment of the environment.
