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Hyundai and Healthy Seas Are Turning Discarded Fishing Gear Into Clothes and Floor Mats

Around 640,000 tons of fishing gear is lost at sea every year, which ends up injuring and killing countless marine life forms and polluting marine habitats along the way.
Hyundai Motor / Healthy Seas 9 photos
Photo: Hyundai Motor Company
Hyundai Motor / Healthy SeasHyundai Motor / Healthy SeasHyundai Motor / Healthy SeasHyundai Motor / Healthy SeasHyundai Motor / Healthy SeasHyundai Motor / Healthy SeasHyundai Motor / Healthy SeasHyundai Motor / Healthy Seas
This phenomenon is called “ghost fishing,” and is a real issue for the planet’s seas and oceans. Healthy Seas was founded to tackle that, and 16th June 2021 (World Oceans Day) marked its first cleanup activity in partnership with Hyundai, in Ithaca, Greece.

This year, the two companies went all the way to Hyundai’s birthplace in South Korea for two non-European cleanup activities in the Gangwon and Namae provinces, which took place from 28 to 29 October and 12 to 14 November.

Every piece of ghost net removed from the ocean is one less threat to marine life. Millions of animals get caught in these deadly traps, and this, in turn, attracts larger predators that also get entangled, perpetuating a cycle of death,” said Veronika Mikos, Healthy Seas Director.

During the two cleanup sessions, volunteers from Ghost Diving – which is a founding partner of Healthy Seas – recovered around half a ton worth of abandoned fishing gear. Not only will this litter no longer harm the marine environment, but the recovered nets will also get a second life as regenerated nylon for fashion pieces and floor mats (such as those in Hyundai’s IONIQ 6).

This is all part of the South Korean carmaker’s initiative for a sustainable future, “Hyundai Continue,” which includes three aspects: Earth, Mobility, and Hope.

Continue Earth reflects Hyundai’s efforts to addres climate and biodiversity issues, such as the current partnership with Healthy Seas. The Mobility pillar includes technology, traffic, and mobility advancements, while the Hope area will have the automaker focus on supporting and developing future talent.

By extending Hyundai Motor and Healthy Seas’ great work to the shores of Hyundai’s birthplace, we are not only supporting a community outside of Europe in which we operate, but we are also doing our part to maintain the well-being of humanity,” noted Michael Cole, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe.
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