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.
Greenhouse Gas and Energy Use
GHG Emissions (Scope 1&2)
(1000 tCO2-eq)
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (Scope 1&2) | 1,144.80 | 1,139.10 | 1,166.80 |
| Direct emissions (Scope 1) | 359 | 365.2 | 379.9 |
| Domestic | 245.4 | 260.5 | 266 |
| Overseas | 113.6 | 104.7 | 113.9 |
| Indirect emissions (Scope 2) | 785.8 | 774 | 786.9 |
| Domestic | 452.5 | 470.2 | 467.3 |
| Overseas | 333.3 | 303.8 | 319.6 |
GHG Emissions (Scope 3)*
(tCO2-eq)
| Category | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Total emissions (Scope 3) | 72,975,453 |
| Purchased Goods and Services | 13,736,281 |
| Capital goods investment and purchase | 2,545 |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1&2 | 99,271 |
| Waste generated in operations | 30,796 |
| Business travel | 5,135 |
| Employee commuting | 277,552 |
| Transportation and distribution | 1,153,600 |
| Use of sold products | 57,389,971 |
| Processing of sold products | 188,991 |
| Investment | 91,313 |
* Based on CDP(Carbon Disclosure Project) submission
Energy Consumption
Total energy consumption (general + renewable)
| Category | Unit | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | MWh | 3,535,198 | 3,725,562 | 3,794,321 |
| Domestic | MWh | 2,297,398 | 2,443,496 | 2,467,621 |
| Overseas | MWh | 1,237,800 | 1,282,066 | 1,326,700 |
| Total | TJ | 18,550 | 19,552 | 19,763 |
| Domestic | TJ | 14,093 | 14,936 | 14,987 |
| Overseas | TJ | 4,457 | 4,616 | 4,776 |
General energy consumption (Nonrenewable energy consumption)
| Category | Unit | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total consumption | MWh | 3,418,669 | 3,585,908 | 3,652,972 |
| Total consumption | TJ | 18,130 | 19,049 | 19,254 |
| Domestic | TJ | 14,093 | 14,936 | 14,987 |
| Fuel | TJ | 4,777 | 5,112 | 5,221 |
| Elctricity | TJ | 9,316 | 9,824 | 9,766 |
| Overseas | TJ | 4,037 | 4,113 | 4,267 |
| Fuel | TJ | 2,106 | 2,120 | 2,130 |
| Elctricity | TJ | 1,931 | 1,993 | 2,137 |
Renewable energy consumption
| Category | Unit | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total consumption | MWh | 116,529 | 139,654 | 141,349 |
| Total consumption | TJ | 420 | 503 | 509 |
Air Pollutants
Dust*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions(tons) | 101.6 | 68.1 | 72.5 |
| Emission intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 3.0 | 1.7 | 1.6 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
SOx*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions(tons) | 3.0 | 1.4 | 3.5 |
| Emission intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 0.09 | 0.03 | 0.08 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
NOx*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions(tons) | 141.4 | 145.9 | 156.9 |
| Emission intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 4.12 | 3.56 | 3.38 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
VOCs*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions(tons) | 5,967.1 | 6,628.2 | 6,413.3 |
| Emission intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 173.65 | 161.74 | 73.55 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
Water Resource and Water Pollutants
Water
(㎥(ton))
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water intake | Total water intake | 6,168,016 | 6,755,826 | 7,006,517 |
| Waterworks | 4,881,975 | 5,261,166 | 5,627,986 | |
| Underground water | 1,286,041 | 1,494,660 | 1,378,531 | |
| Water intake from high water stress areas* | 1,368,645 | 1,498,253 | 1,633,092 | |
| Waterworks | 823,564 | 885,268 | 1,000,485 | |
| Underground water | 545,081 | 612,985 | 632,607 | |
| Water withdrawal | Total water withdrawal | 4,535,347 | 4,894,039 | 4,737,786 |
| Water withdrawal to high water stress areas* | 1,250,442 | 1,384,872 | 1,409,389 | |
| Water consumption | Total consumption | 1,632,669 | 1,861,787 | 2,268,731 |
| Water consumption in high water stress areas* | 118,203 | 113,381 | 223,703 | |
| Amount of reuse** | - | 324,138 | 516,424 | |
* Domestic High water stress area in Korea: Autoland Gwangmyeong
** Data Coverage: Autoland Hwaseong in Korea, data is reported from 2021
※ Water stress refers to the ratio of water demand to available water resources.
A higher value indicates a more acute water scarcity region. It is a representative tool to identify water stress areas with reference to the Water Risk Atlas of the World Resources Institute (WRI).
COD*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions(tons) | 80.8 | 71.6 | 82.2 |
| Emission intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 2.35 | 1.75 | 1.77 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
TOC*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions(tons) | 50.5 | 44.7 | 51.4 |
| Emission intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 1.47 | 1.09 | 1.11 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
BOD*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions(tons) | 22.3 | 19.5 | 22.8 |
| Emission intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 0.65 | 0.47 | 0.49 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
SS*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions(tons) | 8.9 | 8.7 | 7.7 |
| Emission intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 0.26 | 0.21 | 0.17 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
Other(n-H, T-P, T-N)*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions(tons) | 47.4 | 39.8 | 37.8 |
| Emission intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 1.39 | 0.97 | 0.81 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
Raw and Subsidiary Materials / Waste
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total usage(tons) | 195,477.0 | 214,901.9 | 218.345.9 |
| Intensity of use(kg/unit) | 171.0 | 175.7 | 172.4 |
Iron*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total usage(tons) | 175,981.7 | 193,865.8 | 195,570.7 |
| Intensity of use(kg/unit) | 154.0 | 158.5 | 154.4 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
Paint*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total usage(tons) | 14,751.5 | 16,036.5 | 17,806.4 |
| Intensity of use(kg/unit) | 12.9 | 31.1 | 14.1 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
Thinner*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total usage(tons) | 4,743.9 | 4,999.6 | 4,968.8 |
| Intensity of use(kg/unit) | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.9 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
Waste generation*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total waste generated(tons) | 194,247.0 | 210,532.0 | 199,934.0 |
| General waste generated(tons) | 186,023.0 | 202,107.0 | 191,796.0 |
| Designated waste generated(tons) | 8,224 | 8,425 | 8,138 |
| Waste generation intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 5,563 | 5,138 | 4,308 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
Waste recycling*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total waste recycled (tons, %)** |
184,190 (95%) |
197,548 (94%) |
187,594 (94%) |
| General waste recycled(tons) | 180,039 | 193,775 | 183,853 |
| Designated waste recycled(tons) | 4,151 | 3,773 | 3,741 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
** Total recycling rate target for 2023: 95%
Waste treatment*
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total waste treated(tons)*** | 10,058 | 12,985 | 12,340 |
| General waste(tons) | 5,984 | 8,333 | 7,943 |
| Incineration (energy recovery excluded)(tons) | 5,984 | 7,097 | 7,308 |
| Landfill(tons) | 0 | 1,236 | 635 |
| Designated waste(tons) | 4,074 | 4,652 | 4,397 |
| Incineration (energy recovery excluded)(tons) | 4,063 | 4,556 | 4,376 |
| Landfill(tons) | 11 | 96 | 21 |
* Data coverage : Domestic
** Total waste treatment amount target for 2023: 12,662.42 tons
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 |
Chemical Substances
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal(tons) | 49,103 | 53,551 | 53,447 |
| Withdrawal intensity(tons/KRW trillion) | 1,428.97 | 1,306.78 | 1,151.63 |
Environmental Education (2022)
| Education course | Subject to education | No. of employees educated | Date | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic course for safety environment | New hires in the safety environment division | 41 | Nov. 2022 | Help employees responsible for ensuring safety environment do their job smoothly |
| Regular safety and health education | All employees | 26,944.00 | Apr. 2022 / Oct. 2022 | Educate on the safe management of chemical substances (hazardous chemicals, MSDS), and raise safe awareness among employees in charge |
| Smart factory - Safety environment | Employees responsible for production-related tasks | 20 | Oct. 2022 | Train on safety environment affairs and risk management, and provide key trends of technologies regarding safety environment |
| Smart factory - Energy (1st round) | 21 | Jul. 2022 | Help employees better understand carbon neutrality, RE100, ESG concept, Kia’s goals and directions, energy data usage and analysis, and measures to efficiently use process energy | |
| Smart factory - Energy (2nd round) | 16 | Jul. 2022 |
Environmental Investments Costs
(KRW 1,000)
| Category | 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.
※ More information than the above environmental management data can be found in the Kia 2022 CDP Report.