Kia’s path to lead the development of new natural materials

Kia believes that the sustainability should be at the heart of everything we do and have a real impact. In addition to electrification, Kia is working to reduce, if not eliminate, the environmental impact of car production. The use of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials is an important part of this strategy. Kia has successfully developed and implemented sustainable solutions in several models already on the roads around the world, including recycled PET, alternative bio-based leather and BTX-free paint.

In the new Kia Niro, the headliner is made of recycled wallpaper; door panels are finished with VOC-free paint; the seat covers are made of vegan polyurethane leather and contain Tencel material from eucalyptus trees, and the case cover is made of 75% recycled fibres. These sustainable elements create an interior that respects the environment, with natural finishes that are pleasant to the touch. Tencel, for example, is biodegradable and its production, which can reduce waste by up to 98%, does not include polluting chemical factors. In addition, it is a material with high resistance, efficient absorption of moisture and soft to the touch.

Environmentally friendly materials such as: recycled polyethylene plastic (PET) in the mats and seat covers, meaning that one model contains the equivalent of 107 500ml PET bottles.

Kia’s strategy to make an immediate and real impact on the use of sustainable materials consists of three steps:

–no leather: First of all, starting with the new EV9, Kia plans to completely eliminate the use of leather in all future projects. Bio polyurethane, with added BIO components such as corn, eucalyptus and others, is durable and can achieve the same touch as leather. Replacing leather and PVC with Bio-Polyurethane provides a high-quality material and reduces CO2 emissions and toxic chemicals.

–Ten Essential Materials: The sustainable solutions developed will be scaled up and applied with a global approach. To create a huge impact, the “10 essential materials” have been defined that will be applied in all Kia models. These elements are PP+Bio PE plastic, recycled plastic, Bio-Polyurethane, recycled PET fabric, recycled PET from fishing nets, Bio-Polyurethane foam, Bio-paint, BTX-free paint, recycled PET yarn and recycled PET felt.

–Advanced studies of natural materials and bioproduction: Kia wants to develop materials by collaborating with innovative companies. An example is the development of new materials based on mycelium, which comes from the roots of fungi, in collaboration with Mycell, a startup born from Hyundai Motor Company.