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Building a sustainable society.

Under the vision “Progress for humanity” Hyundai is taking steps to foster a cleaner and more sustainable world. Produced in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery, the second documentary miniseries captures Hyundai’s partnership with the marine conservation organisation Healthy Seas and the work both do to restore nature’s beauty and improve global health. As viewers are guided through Europe – from Greece to Slovenia and Germany – they will learn how one person’s waste is truly another’s treasure, discovering how waste can be transformed into an eco-friendly resource.

A portrait of Bertrand Piccard wearing a dark shirt and jacket.
The challenges for reaching full sustainability are extraordinary. This is why we need pioneers who give us the impulse to look at different ways of thinking and doing. And now, we have to take the next steps.

- Bertrand Piccard - Explorer, Activist, Hyundai Brand Ambassador -

Watch the full documentary.

Follow the journey from waste materials to car interiors, seeing how ghost nets and other nylon waste are collected, processed and regenerated into ECONYL® yarn, while exploring a variety of sustainable topics along the way. With guests such as Bertrand Piccard, York Hovest, race driver Norbert Michelisz, and more, Going Circular, tells a story of the circular economy, as well as the partners who share our vision for a sustainable future. 

Episode 1: Back to blue.

In the first episode of Hyundai’s new documentary miniseries, Healthy Seas and its partners return to Ithaca to continue what they started last summer: restoring the beauty of the surrounding sea and beaches. Documentary filmmaker and environmental activist York Hovest chats with Veronika Mikos, Director of Healthy Seas, and Pascal van Erp, Founder of Ghost Diving, about the dangers of abandoned fishing gear and the colossal amounts of teamwork required to salvage it.
The Hyundai KONA Electric in Atlas White, driven by Veronika Mikos and with additional healthy seas livery

KONA Electric.

For this year’s Ithaca project, Healthy Seas drove a Hyundai KONA Electric. When it comes to an all-electric driving range, KONA Electric continues to deliver remarkable performance. The 64 kWh-battery version boasts a range of 484 kilometres (WLTP). Combined with cutting-edge safety and ADAS systems, a refreshed design, and a range of convenient touches, KONA Electric is a truly exceptional electric vehicle.
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Episode 2: Re-Think with Purpose.

Explorer and activist, as well as brand ambassador for Hyundai Motor Europe, Bertrand Piccard returns for Hyundai’s second documentary miniseries. In Episode 2, he travels to Slovenia to see how nylon waste is transformed into the renewable material ECONYL® at the Aquafil factory. Bertrand meets two pioneers in sustainability: Denis Jahić, who guides him through the nylon regeneration process, and Yasin Savci, who enlightens him about the milestones in eco-friendly automotive design.

  1. Bertrand Piccard, Explorer and Activist.

    A scientist, psychiatrist, aeronaut, inventor, explorer, but, most importantly, a renowned pioneer, Bertrand is a dedicated proponent of eco-mobility, holding several records in the field. Through his Solar Impulse Foundation, he is constantly on the lookout for innovative, environmentally-friendly solutions.

  2. Denis Jahić, General Manager of AquafilSLO.

    Denis joined the Aquafil Group after graduating with a degree in chemistry from the University of Ljubljana in 1996. He continued to rise in the company, playing a key role in the business’s development and expansion. Today, Aquafil’s vision is to breathe new life into discarded materials – without consuming more valuable resources from the earth.

  3. Yasin Savci, Senior CMF Designer at Hyundai.

    Yasin joined Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre in 2019 with a background in industrial and product design, as well as years of experience in creating and developing textures and 3D patterns for automotive interiors. As of late, Yasin is involved in sustainable design processes, including the integration of ECONYL® in IONIQ 5. He is implementing more recyclable materials and eco-friendly manufacturing strategies to create a sense of well-being for customers.

    ECONYL®.

    The ECONYL® Regeneration System has four steps. First, waste, like fishing nets and carpet flooring, is rescued around the globe and sorted and cleaned to recover as much nylon as possible. The nylon waste is then regenerated back to its original purity, making ECONYL® the same as fossil-based nylon. ECONYL® is remade into yarns and polymers for various industries. Finally, ECONYL® is reimagined to create new products – whether sportswear, bracelets, or the floor mats in IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6! The nylon can be recycled infinitely without losing quality, so ECONYL® products can be fed back into the Regeneration System.
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    Sustainability, inside and out.

    Hyundai underscored its commitment to sustainability by furnishing IONIQ 5 with a range of eco-friendly materials. Material made from recycled plastic bottles, wool or eco-processed leather makes up the coverings on the seats and door armrests. The doors are coated with a plant-based bio paint, and the garnish panels of the door trim are made of paperette – a recyclable material that feels like paper. IONIQ 5 is also available with floor mats developed using ECONYL®, a regenerated nylon yarn made from recycled fishing nets and other nylon waste recovered from the sea.
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    Episode 3: Sustainability on all grounds.

    Hyundai Motorsport’s Hungarian race driver Norbert Michelisz joins Episode 3 as our moderator. In the final episode of the series, he travels to Germany to find out what’s currently in the works for the sustainable future of mobility and motorsports. Norbert accompanies Sebastian Bekmann, who talks about designing IONIQ 6 – the second model in Hyundai’s IONIQ line-up brand dedicated to battery electric vehicles – and the importance of testing cars at the Nürburgring, as well as Stefan Ph. Henrich, who stresses this as a turning point in motorsport.
    1. A portrait of Norbert Michelisz, Hyundai Motorsport Race Driver

      Norbert Michelisz, Hyundai Motorsport Race Driver.

      Hailing from Hungary, Norbert Michelisz is a race driver for Hyundai Motorsport with several accolades under his belt. Having made his international motorsport debut in 2008, Norbert joined the Hyundai team a decade later. Behind the wheel of a Hyundai i30 N TCR, he was crowned the overall winner at the 2019 FIA World Touring Car Cup.

    2. Sebastian Bekmann, Exterior Designer at Hyundai Motor Europe.

      Sebastian joined Hyundai as a designer with a background in industrial and transportation design. Now an Exterior Designer, he is familiar with streamliner forms, which contributed to the early development phases of the IONIQ 6 project.

    3. Stefan Ph. Henrich, Director of Marketing and PR at Hyundai Motorsport GmbH.

      Serving as a spokesperson for Hyundai Motor Europe for twelve years, Stefan has brought a wealth of experience to the Hyundai Motorsport team. Currently occupying the role of Director of Marketing & PR, he supervised the execution of Hyundai Motorsport’s award-winning promotional activities in markets around the world. As of late, Stefan has been brainstorming how to merge electrification and high performance to achieve more sustainable motorsport.

      FIA ETCR.

      FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup is a racing series dedicated exclusively to fully electric touring cars. Derived from standard production models that have been re-engineered with electric powertrains, the vehicles that race in FIA ETCR are the most powerful touring cars ever built. In 2022, ETCR became an official FIA series. Hyundai Motorsport has been participating in ETCR with the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR since its inaugural season in 2021.
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      IONIQ 6.

      IONIQ 6 is the latest addition to the all-electric IONIQ line-up brand. The aerodynamically sculpted Electrified Streamliner features a range of state-of-the-art technologies, personalised space and features, and an extended, WLTP-rated range of 614 kilometres. Like IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6 is built on Hyundai Motor Group’s BEV-dedicated Electric-Global Modular Platform.
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      This project was conducted with the help of: 

      • Healthy Seas
      • Aquafil
      • Ghost Diving
      • Enaleia
      • Odyssey Outdoor Activities
      • Iaseas
      • Kefalonia Fisheries
      • The Municipality of Ithaca
      • The Hellenic Coast Guard
      • The Auspice of the Hellenic Ministry of Maritime Affairs & the Hellenic Ministry of Environment & Energy