Kia is looking to apply its 10 must-have sustainability items to all new Kia model lines, aiming to achieve sustainability at scale, and it’s starting with its latest flagship EV9.
As a step towards achieving the brand’s aim of carbon neutrality across its operations by 2045, Kia has announced further details of its overarching Design Sustainability Strategy. The initiative aims to make manufacturing greener at a larger production level, while also providing the best material solutions for all new model lines.
The South Korean company has already committed to completely phase out the use of leather in all new products. Now, with these new guideline items, Kia will make use of a host of various innovative recycled materials to reduce its carbon impact and reuse items that would otherwise be harmful to the environment.
One of the items detailed are bioplastic, an exciting and innovative type of plastic that can be produced using a variety of renewable biomass sources. Apart from its sustainability, the company says it is also versatile and durable enough to be used in various components of the car’s interior.
If you look inside an EV9, you can find products incorporated with bioplastic everywhere — from the dashboard and console to the pillars and garnishes. The door garnishes also feature post-consumer material (PCM) plastic, which is exactly what it sounds like — plastic made using recycled material from existing products rather than new, ‘virgin’ pellets.
The seats are made out of bio PU and recycled PET fabric, while the seat stitching has been done with recycled PET yarn. The recycled PET fabric can also be found in many other areas of EV9’s interior, including the headliner, sun visor, garnish, and headrests. In fact, each EV9 incorporates at least 70 recycled bottles, highlighting the brand’s commitment to reducing waste.
The cabin floors of the new Kia EV9 feature carpets made from recycled PET and fishing net. The headrests are also made out bio PU foam, and the luggage board has been constructed with recycled PET, made with recycled PET bottles is both soft and durable, and has the added benefit of offering good acoustic absorption.
The EV9 doesn’t cut corners in sustainability on the outside — the door switch panels are coated with bio paint, a more sustainable than alternatives made using crude oil and reduces chemical waste normally derived from the manufacturing process.
Finally, as part of its advanced efforts, Kia will continue to invest in testing and development programs to accelerate the implementation of bio-fabrication, underscoring its dedication to advancing sustainable technologies.
