By Cho, Hyun-jin
Sustainability Management Team

November 24 in Seoul, Kia Motors lifted the covers off Cadenza in Korea (also known as K7 in domestic).

On the following day, Cadenza acquired carbon footprint labeling certificate from the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI). The label shows total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions created directly and indirectly through people’s activities or from every stage of a product’s life (including production, use and disposal) converted into carbon dioxide (CO₂), the representative GHG.

Automobiles account for 15-20% of total GHG emissions. Countries around the world are introducing stricter regulations and Kia received the carbon label to respond to these movements and express our commitment to making more eco-friendly vehicles.

In 2006, Kia expanded the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to its entire Kia lineup. LCA provides a quantitative evaluation of the environmental impact of a product’s total life cycle (including raw materials, production, use and disposal). As an extension of LCA, Kia sought the carbon footprint label for the Cadenza, a first for the automaker. Cadenza was found to emit 29.5t in carbon dioxide, with 11.8% emitted during the raw material production stage, 1.8% during the car production stage, 86.4% during the utilization stage (based on driving distance of 120,000km) and 0.04% during the final disposal stage.

To reduce CO₂emissions during the driving (utilization) stage, Kia improved the engine’s efficiency, outfitted the car with a six-gear transmission and environmentally-friendly tires, reduced the car’s weight, and applied an aerodynamic design to decrease CO₂ emissions from the car. Additionally, Kia is helping drivers adopt more earth-positive driving habits by introducing an Eco-Drive system and holding a contest for most fuel-efficient driving.

As someone who worked on the preparations, I can tell you that there were some bumps to acquiring this esteemed carbon footprint label. The unveiling of the Cadenza was moved up ahead of schedule, bringing it very close to the date on which we achieved the label. Also, after submitting the documents for certification, due diligence had to be conducted but scheduling was very difficult as the launch date and the final review for the certificate were only a day apart. Fortunately, the R&D center, plant and Planning Office managed to meet the tight deadline through close cooperation. I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone involved. If it weren’t for them, I’d be posting this entry in 2010.

We plan to add carbon footprint labels to all future models. Hopefully our efforts will provide the platform for more environmentally-friendly vehicles to help protect our one and only Earth from pollution.

By Corporate Responsibility Team

October 17 is the United Nation’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. As a responsible corporate citizen, Kia Motors is joining the global campaign to eradicate poverty and destitution. Since 2007, the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group has been an active sponsor of the Global Endpoverty Campaign, raising awareness on the issue with a white band. The campaign started in the UK in 2005 and is currently supported by approximately 120 countries around the world. In 2009, the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group plans to bring the campaign to its major business sites overseas to promote greater awareness among employees and the public. This means that the three companies of Kia Motors, Hyundai Motor and Mobis will hang placards featuring the Global Endpoverty Campaign slogan from some 20 company buildings in 10 different countries. In addition to sending out a strong message of the group’s support for the cause, all employees will also wear the white bands to raise awareness, collect donations and participate in child development programs.

Every three seconds, a person dies from poverty somewhere in the world. Poverty is not their fault nor is it a problem that belongs solely to them. It is an issue affecting everyone. The white band represents our willingness to help end extreme poverty and support those in need.

Meanwhile, 300 Happy Move Global Youth volunteers will show their support through the Happy Move Camp to Eradicate Poverty on October 30 and 31. Participants will learn what it’s like to live in poverty and conduct public collections for hungry children in poor countries. The Happy Move Global Youth Volunteers program is part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group’s social responsibility initiative in which university students are dispatched overseas to lend a helping hand in disadvantaged areas.

Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group conducts a wide range of social contribution programs around the world, tackling environmental, safety and other global issues under the CSR slogan “Moving the World Together.” Programs include Green Zone, a project for planting flora in an effort to prevent desertification in China; running a mobile clinic to provide free medical services to isolated communities in Uzbekistan and Ethiopia; supporting schools and donating desks/chairs in India; planting trees in South America; and upgrading school facilities and providing scholarships in Africa.

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By Cho, Hyun-jin
Sustainability Management Team







※ Editor’s note: Please click on image(s) to view in larger size.
This summer was one of the busiest I’ve spent in recent years and full of many events. One of the most memorable was the 3rd Happy Move Global Youth Volunteer Corps.

As a way of giving back to society, Kia Motors carries out focus programs in four areas known as the ‘4 Moves.’ The four areas are ‘Easy Move’, ‘Safe Move’, ‘Green Move’, and ‘Happy Move’. ‘Happy Move’ refers to social contribution through volunteering.

One of the initiatives under ‘Happy Move’ is the ‘Happy Move Global Youth Volunteer Corps’ program. This program sends about 1,000 university student volunteers to different corners of the globe every year.

This summer, the volunteer activities were organized under four themes and took place in China and India. The volunteer group sent to China had the chance to help build the ‘Kia Village.’
Carried out jointly with Habitat for Humanity, the Kia Village project was designed to rebuild a rural village devastated by the earthquake in Sichuan province on May 12 of last year. I took part as a ‘mentor’ to some 60 undergraduates who comprised the first volunteer group.

The 60 students and I went on the volunteer trip from July 16 to August 5. It took an entire day to reach the village, so there were only eight days for actual work. We did our best to make the most out of our short stay.

Being the first volunteer group, we had to lay down the foundation before actual construction could begin. Most of our work involved digging and shoveling. Everyone worked hard with no complaints even though the work went non-stop for seven hours everyday. The heat cooled during our stay with the rain, so there was no need to worry about heat stroke. Of course, everyone inevitably got covered in mud.

In addition to working at the site, we prepared a performance for the local residents. There were three main shows, mini Olympics, balloon art, face painting and a magic show. I was suddenly thrown into the cheerleading squad, so I practiced every night until 2 am or 3 am. Due to rain, the shows were delayed until the day before we left Sichuan province. In the end, the performance was a success, making the long hours of practice worthwhile.

We wrapped up the trip to China with a visit to the local Kia Motors factory and Shanghai. Our bus broke down on a highway, so we had to get off and push the bus, which was a unique experience. In Shanghai, the city was bustling with preparations for next year’s Expo.

I am thankful to all of the volunteers who worked incredibly hard during the two weeks at the construction site and during the two months of preparation. I hope this trip will last as a warm memory for everyone involved.

Our visit was profiled in People’s Daily, which you can review at the following link:
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2009-09/04/content_334542.htm

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By Cho, Hyun-jin
Sustainability Management Team




The 2nd World Baseball Classic (WBC) was held in March with 16 countries taking part in the tournament. Although the Korean team didn’t clinch ultimate victory, its second place finish reaffirmed that Korea, which won the baseball gold at the Beijing Olympics, is an emerging baseball powerhouse.

Kia Motors has played a part in advancing baseball in Korea as the sponsor of the Kia Tigers professional baseball team which has won the national championship more times than any other team in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Founded as a KBO charter member in 1982, the Kia Tigers have won the Korean Series nine times to date.

An interesting point is that Kia Motors’ new “family look” (radiator grille) conjures up an image of a “tiger’s nose.” The tiger was not the initial model for this powerful design. Our intent was to create a DNA unique to Kia Motors. And after much thought and time, the “family look” was completed.

Although it wasn’t intentional, we ended up with the “tiger.” This suggests that a special link exists between the tiger and Kia.

I mentioned baseball at the start because my colleagues and I went to see a game recently for KIA Tigers Day. Kia Tigers Day, which launched in 2008 as part of the “New Kia” campaign. On this day, employees at the worksite level go see a Kia Tigers game and cheer on the team.

The game I saw took place on June 17. It was the second in a 3-game series against the league’s No.1 team. Although it was an away game for the Kia Tigers, it wasn’t much different from playing on home turf. The stadium was packed with Tigers fans.

Unfortunately, the Tigers lost 5 to 4. But I had a great time cheering them on with my colleagues. (Of note, Kia won the next day to take the series 2 to 1.)

The Tigers didn’t have a good year in 2008, so there was only one official outing to the stadium. But this year, I hope we’ll get a chance to hold another Kia Tigers Day in the fall. (The Kia Tigers are currently ranked 3rd in the league).

Kia Tigers website: http://www.tigers.co.kr/

By Cho, Hyun-jin
Sustainability Management Team

Last winter, a group of 20 Korean youths succeeded in conquering Kala Patthar (5,550m), part of Mount Lhotse (8,516m) in the Himalayas. This is their story.

The story begins in August 2008, when Kia Motors began the selection process for the 2008 Lhotse Youth Expedition. The program is one of Kia’s representative social contribution initiatives for youths and 2008 marked the third group of students.

In line with Kia’s vision of nurturing adventurous and passionate global talents, we selected 20 finalists ranging from 15 to 19 years of age who possessed passion, a sprit for challenge and respect for processes after an extensive, three-round evaluation selection.

Selected participants then had to undergo training for three months. This involved going on six hikes in Korea; acclimatization training; adjusting to group living; learning about ecology; digital recording, the effects of high altitude on the body and related illnesses; the history, society and culture of Nepal; as well as how to hike with persons with a disability.

In January 2009, the 2008 Lhotse Youth Expedition departed for the 19 day trip. After arriving in Nepal, the students acclimatized to the high altitude while taking time to meet with local youths by providing free medical services and school supplies, and visiting a school in Kathmandu.

If the expedition’s sole objective was to conquer the mountain, the youths would have been limited to a vertical view. Instead, through diverse social contribution activities, they were able to widen their prospective to a much broader scale. At such a young age, it’s very important that they maintain an open and flexible attitude by encountering many different experiences. Of course, this holds true for people of all ages…

One of the most eye-opening experiences of the trip was seeing the effects of global warming up close. Even in the dead of winter in the Himalayas, there were many patches of bare ground which should have been covered in snow.

According to a report published by the World Wildlife Fund last year, Himalayan glaciers are retreating at an average rate of 10 to 15 meters per year due to global warming. The glaciers feed into some of Asia’s greatest rivers (the Ganges, Indus and Brahmaputra, Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and Yellow). Shrinking glaciers are expected to have  devastating effects on the hundreds of millions of people and ecosystems in the lower reaches of these rivers.

There’s no doubt that the 20 students saw and learned much from the expedition. While the climb presented a formidable challenge in itself, it is my hope that they also gained a greater awareness of our changing environment. Going further, I hope that they will share their experiences and feelings with other youths around the world.