An innovative limited-edition truck liner for the new Kia EV3, has been created by Kia. This product is the ‘world’s first’ car accessory that has been manufactured out of plastic which was extracted from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) by the Ocean Cleanup.

This brilliant new product is manufactured with 40% recycled ocean plastic and the company ensure that the trunk liner is durable, protective and functional, ultimately providing the same qualities as a ‘normal’ one. Furthermore, each lines includes a QR code and this allows the customers to access detailed information about the product’s development. It also has information about the partnership that brought about the product and it also includes The Ocean Cleanup logo.

It was back in 2022 when Kia and The Ocean Cleanup started to work together and it has been since they started working together that the companies have focused on finding new and excellent ways to transform plastic waste from the GPGP into durable and practical products. The plastic that The Ocean Cleanup company collects is exclusively composed of materials that were previously in the ocean, which consequently makes it a lot more challenging to recycle them. Due to this extra challenge, the plastics that are found and used must undergo a Chain of Custody standard in order to verify its traceability, as well as its material integrity.

The company commented on the ‘geometric wave’ design surface pattern that the product features. They said that it is “reminiscent of waves and the flow of trash into a collecting area, echoing The Ocean Cleanup’s process for extracting marine plastic.”

Executive vice president and head of the global brand and CX division, Kia, Charles Ryu, commented, “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.”

Founder and CEO, The Ocean Cleanup, Boyan Slat, added, “We are so grateful to have a visionary and passionate partner in Kia, who shares our vision of ensuring that the plastic we extract from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is given a new life in sustainable items.”