Sanyo Chemical’s KESYUNAL Additive Adopted for Kia Ocean Plastic Trunk Liner

Sanyo Chemical Industries says its odor-reducing additive KESYUNAL RP-11D has been adopted for a trunk liner in Kia's EV3 electric vehicle, marking the first adoption of the KESYUNAL series. The liner is part of an ocean plastic recycling initiative led by Kia Corporation of Hyundai Motor Group with The Ocean Cleanup. It is sold as an aftermarket accessory and is made of 40% recycled ocean plastic collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 35% TPV and 25% inorganics and other additives.

Key facts

Market context

Odor-reducing additives are used in plastics and elastomers to suppress volatile organic compounds that cause smells in finished parts, which matters most where materials sit close to occupants. Automotive interiors are the main demand driver, since carmakers set strict odor and emissions targets for cabin trim, dashboards, and liners. Demand is also supported by consumer electronics, packaging, and building materials that use recycled or filled resins, where recycled feedstock often carries residual odor. Thermoplastic vulcanizates, which blend rubber and polypropylene and are processed like plastics, are widely used for soft-touch automotive parts. Adoption of a specialty additive in a recycled-content vehicle part can support formulators' efforts to qualify additives in mixed or recycled streams, a segment where odor control is a recognized technical challenge. Single product approvals of this kind are niche in volume terms, but they signal how additive suppliers may position products for circular-economy compounds in automotive interiors.

Source: official release on sanyo-chemical.co.jp. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.