Key Achievements
How we care for the Earth
Environmental Management Data
Kia’s entire operating system is undergoing an evolution in order for our vehicles to contribute as "Clean Mobility" on global environmental protection.
Furthermore, by 2025, we will have reduced direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) greenhouse gas emissions by 17.4 percent compared to 2016.
Goals and Performance by Indicator*
| Category | Description | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green growth | Greenhouse gas Discharge (tCO2eq/unit**) |
0.60 | 0.61 | 0.60 | 0.58 | 0.59 |
| Energy Consumption (kgOE/unit) | 0.29 | 0.29 | 0.29 | 0.28 | 0.29 | |
| Eco-friendly production | Water quality Water (ton/unit) |
5.4 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.4 |
| Water COD*** (㎎/ℓ) | 14.3 | 18.0 | 14.6 | 17.9 | 16.6 | |
| Water TOC*** (㎎/ℓ) | 9.0 | 11.2 | 9.1 | 11.2 | 10.4 | |
| Hazardous chemicals Consumption (kg/unit) |
0.1 | - | - | - | - | |
| Resource circulation | Waste Generation (kg/unit) | 149.0 | 170.0 | 172.1 | 157.9 | 164.1 |
| Waste Recycling rate (%) | 93.6 | 94.8 | 93.8 | 93.8 | 95.0 |
* Range: Autoland Gwangmyeong, Hwaseong, Gwangju
** Amount used (emissions) per unit: based on the number of units produced, the Amount used or emitted when one vehicle is produced
*** The amount of oxygen required when the microbial oxidizer decomposes organic matter in water, and it is an indicator of the degree of contamination of water.
Greenhouse Gas and Energy Use
GHG emissions
(1000 tCO2-eq)
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 | 245 | 261 | 266 |
| Scope 2 | 453 | 470 | 467 |
| Total | 698 | 731 | 733 |
* Greenhouse gas emissions including all AutoLand and others in Korea (number can be slightly modified after to government assessment)
Scope 3 emission amount
(tCO2-eq)
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope 3 | 70,308,767 | 67,563,304 | To be updated in July, 2023 |
Total domestic energy use amount
(1,000 TJ)
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AutoLand | 13.6 | 14.4 | 14.5 |
| Others | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| total | 14.1 | 14.9 | 15.0 |
* Total Energy consumption of all domestic and overseas AutoLands and others including headquarters (subject to slight fluctuations due to government assessment)
* AutoLand: AutoLand Gwangmyeong, Hwaseong, Gwangju
Others: Headquarters, Service Centers, Sales Branches, Shipping Offices, Osan Training Center, Pyeongtaek Port, Vision Square
Air Pollutants
Air Pollutants
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (t) | 246.1 | 215.5 | 232.9 |
| Per-unit emissions (g/vehicle) | 215.3 | 176.2 | 183.9 |
* VOC Emissions are not included in the total emissions.
Dust Particles
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (t) | 101.6 | 68.1 | 72.5 |
| Per-unit emissions (g/vehicle) | 88.9 | 55.7 | 57.2 |
SOx
(1,000 TJ)
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (t) | 3.0 | 1.4 | 3.5 |
| Per-unit emissions (g/vehicle) | 2.7 | 1.2 | 2.8 |
NOx
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (t) | 141.4 | 146.0 | 156.9 |
| Per-unit emissions (g/vehicle) | 123.7 | 119.3 | 123.9 |
* NOx: Nitrogen Oxide
* Slight changes in 2018 and 2019 performance due to the change in regulation on the total amount of nitrogen oxides in AutoLand Gwangju
VOCs
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (t) | 5,967.1 | 6,628.2 | 6,413.3 |
| Per-unit emissions (kg/vehicle) | 5,220.9 | 5,419.1 | 5,063.5 |
Discharge of Water Pollutants
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (t) | 137.1 | 120.1 | 127.8 |
| Per-unit emissions (g/vehicle) | 120.0 | 98.2 | 100.9 |
* Total amount of discharged COD, SS, and other water pollutants
Water Resource Usage
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groundwater supply (㎥) | 4,881,975 | 5,261,166 | 5,627,986 |
| Water supply (㎥) | 1,286,041 | 1,494,660 | 1,378,531 |
| Total use (㎥) | 6,168,016 | 6,755,826 | 7,006,517 |
| Per-unit use (㎥/vehicle) | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
Water Resource Reusage
| 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Reused Water Resources (㎥) | 324,138 | 516,424 |
* Range: AutoLand Hwaseong
* Kia recognizes the importance of water resources and the seriousness of the global water shortage problem, and implements various measures such as investment in process wastewater recycling facilities and replacement of auxiliary facilities.
In particular, we introduced a zero liquid discharge system from the design phase of our plant in India in 2019, and from 2020 we are striving to reduce the use of water resources by reusing all of the factory wastewater.
COD
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (t) | 80.8 | 71.6 | 82.2 |
| Per-unit emissions (g/vehicle) | 70.7 | 58.5 | 64.9 |
* COD(Chemical Oxygen Demand): The amount of oxygen required when microorganisms and oxidizers decompose organic matter in water. The number indicates the degree of contamination of water. The smaller the number, the lower the level of contamination.
SS
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (t) | 8.9 | 8.7 | 7.7 |
| Per-unit emissions (g/vehicle) | 7.8 | 7.1 | 6.1 |
* SS(Suspended Solids): floating materials in water
Others
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (t) | 47.4 | 39.8 | 37.8 |
| Per-unit emissions (g/vehicle) | 41.5 | 32.5 | 29.9 |
* Other : n-H, T-P T-N
Raw Materials Input and Waste
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total use (t) | 195,477.0 | 214,901.8 | 218,345.9 |
| Per-unit use (kg/vehicle) | 171.0 | 175.7 | 172.4 |
Steel
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total use (t) | 175,981.7 | 193,865.8 | 195,570.7 |
| Per-unit use (kg/vehicle) | 154.0 | 158.5 | 154.4 |
Paint
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total use (t) | 14,751.5 | 16,036.5 | 17,806.4 |
| Per-unit use (kg/vehicle) | 12.9 | 31.1 | 14.1 |
Thinners
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total use (t) | 4,743.9 | 4,999.6 | 4,968.8 |
| Per-unit use (kg/vehicle) | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.9 |
Waste Disposal by Methods
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recycling Total (t) | 184,189 | 197,547 | 187,593 |
| Recycling Per-unit (kg/vehicle) | 161.2 | 161.5 | 148.1 |
| Landfill disposal Total (t) | 10 | 1,332 | 656 |
| Landfill disposal Per-unit (kg/vehicle) | 0.01 | 1.1 | 0.5 |
| Incineration Total (t) | 10,047 | 11,653 | 11,684 |
| Incineration Per-unit (kg/vehicle)) | 8.8 | 9.5 | 9.2 |
| Total (t) | 194,247 | 210,532 | 199,934 |
| Total Per-unit (kg/vehicle) | 170 | 172 | 158 |
Hazardous chemical substances Emissions (consumption)
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous chemical substances Emissions (consumption, t) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hazardous chemical substances Emissions (consumption, kg/unit) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TRI Chemicals
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRI chemicals (t) | 49,102.6 | 53,551.3 | 53,446.9 |
| TRI chemicals (kg/vehicle) | 40.1 | 43.8 | 42.2 |
* To be updated in July, 2022
Environmental Investments
Environmental Investments Costs
(KRW 1,000)
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | 4,002,900 | 12,135,500 | 5,663,000 |
| Actual investment | 4,109,156 | 12,081,759 | 7,886,400 |
| Investment rate (%) | 102.7 | 99.6 | 139.3 |
Environmental management costs
(KRW 1,000)
| Item | Description | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct reduction on environmental loads | Working condition improvement and maintenance | 11,780,841 | 8,125,271 | 10,778,863 |
| Indirection reduction on environmental loads | Employee training and environmental assessments | 2,044,529 | 2,256,565 | 2,158,881 |
| Waste disposal & recycling | Waste treatment/disposal expenses | 5,521,720 | 6,238,141 | 6,219,872 |
| Environmental risk management costs | Environmental regulatory compliance & accident prevention | 1,787 | 8,160 | 51,634 |
| Total | 19,348,877 | 16,628,136 | 19,209,250 | |
Biodiversity
As a responsible company preparing for a sustainable future, Kia is promoting the mudflat vegetation restoration project to protect the marine ecosystem and respond to climate change. In cooperation with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, we will design a plan to restore the mudflat ecosystem to strengthen the carbon absorption of the mudflat and promote the planting of halophytes in earnest.
In addition, 3,500 seedlings were donated near the workplace through voluntary and active plogging volunteer activities by executives and employees, and through the 'Happy Move the Green' volunteer group, we are striving to preserve the ecological environment and biodiversity by removing exotic plants from national parks and protecting wild animals.
For biodiversity conservations, we expand green spaces in proportion to the building area of worksites, creating eco-friendly and relaxing working conditions. Since 2000, Kia has conducted a thorough review of potential soil polluting facilities, shutting them down without a single case of pollution leakage.
Biodiversity Risk Assessment
Kia, recognizing the importance of biodiversity, conducts biodiversity risk assessment and strives to actively respond to biodiversity risks-related business impacts and dependence. In 2023, biodiversity risk assessment was conducted for regions where Kia's global business sites are located using WWF's Biodiversity Risk Filter (BRF). We analyzed the dependence and impact of biodiversity based on the region where the business site is located.
According to the result of the assessment, the biodiversity-related reputational risks are low, but some of the physical risks were identified as vulnerable risks for areas where the Kia's production sites are located. It was confirmed that physical risks, such as the risk of Limited Wild Flora & Fauna Availability, although to some degree each areas have different exposure to the risk, is high. Kia will continue to monitor the biodiversity of its business sites and nearby areas, and promote various eco-friendly improvement activities to preserve biodiversity.
Overseas Worksites Environmental Performance
Kia Autoland Slovakia
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (1,000 t) | 30 | 35 | 33 |
| Per-unit emissions (kgCO2eq/vehicle) | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
* Slovakia Plant’s all consumed electricity is produced via renewable energy sources
Kia China
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (1,000 t) | 161 | 111 | 118 |
| Per-unit emissions (kgCO2eq/vehicle) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
Kia Autoland Georgia
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (1,000 t) | 82 | 76 | 78 |
| Per-unit emissions (kgCO2eq/vehicle) | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
Kia Mexico
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (1,000 t) | 76 | 74 | 82 |
| Per-unit emissions (kgCO2eq/vehicle) | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Kia India
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (1,000 t) | 96 | 111 | 123 |
| Per-unit emissions (kgCO2eq/vehicle) | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
* India Plant was newly constructed in December 2019 and its emission amount was aggregated from 2020.
* More information than the above environmental management data can be found in the Kia 2022 CDP Report.