Kia Ireland returns as sponsor of Big Beach Clean

Kia Ireland has confirmed its return as sponsor of the Big Beach Clean 2026, giving the Irish arm of South Korean automaker Kia continued visibility around one of Ireland's largest annual environmental volunteering events as it runs from 18 to 20 September. Organised by Clean Coasts and forming part of the International Coastal Cleanup, last year's event drew almost 11,000 volunteers across more than 500 organised clean-ups, removing more than 60 tonnes of litter from Irish coasts and waterways, with organisers hoping to beat that number this year. Clean Coasts manager with An Taisce Bronagh Moore said every piece of litter collected and recorded is vital for raising awareness and driving policy change to protect Ireland's oceans.

Kia Ireland is the Irish distributor for South Korean automaker Kia, operating as a subsidiary of Kia Europe since 2004 and selling cars in Ireland since 2001. The company passed 10,000 annual vehicle sales for the first time in 2025, holding around 8% of the Irish new car market.

Clean Coasts is a volunteer-based environmental programme run by heritage charity An Taisce, coordinating beach and waterway clean-ups nationwide and feeding litter data into an international citizen science project tracking marine pollution.

The sponsorship sits within Kia's wider ocean plastic strategy rather than standing alone: the automaker already uses recycled materials, including ocean plastic, in vehicle production, and in 2024 introduced a limited-edition EV3 boot liner made with 40% recycled ocean plastic.

That material is sourced through Kia's global partnership with The Ocean Cleanup, which funds waste removal from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch as part of a wider goal to clear 90% of floating ocean plastic worldwide by 2040.

Kia Ireland head of marketing and PR Cathal Kealey said the company was delighted to return as official sponsor of the Big Beach Clean in 2026, and encouraged as many people as possible to register for their local beach clean.

For the sector, the renewal illustrates how automakers increasingly link consumer-facing sustainability sponsorships to material supply chain initiatives under way internally, giving campaigns like this a tangible product connection rather than standalone brand association with an environmental cause.

Source: CompleteCar.ie / Kia Ireland / Autotrade.ie