The new Kia Sportage, which launched in Germany in August, has been awarded an internationally recognised environmental certificate. Following a rigorous assessment of all environmental aspects, from production to day-to-day running through to recycling, TÜV Nord certified that the third generation of the compact SUV complies with the strict environmental standards of the ISO 14040 life cycle assessment. The inspection conducted by the prestigious organisation certified the vehicle’s good eco-balance and the significant environmental progress that has been made compared to the previous model. The new Sportage is produced in Kia’s European factory in Zilina, Slovakia. The factory was granted a certificate as an environmentally friendly production facility according to which the environment management system of Kia Motors Slovakia has been found to conform to ISO 14 001. Many of the production and waste-management technologies in operation at Zilina are among the most modern in the world. The Kia cee’d hatchback, which is also built in Zilina, was the first car made by a Korean manufacturer to be certified according to the ISO 14040 life cycle assessment standards.
“The eco-balance certificate for the new Kia Sportage is further proof of Kia Motor’s successful environmental strategy,” commented Sun-Young Kim, President of Kia Motors Europe. “Our Research & Development centres have comprehensive expertise in the field of environmentally friendly technologies, and our modern car manufacturing plants work to the highest eco standards. We will continue to use these strengths to ensure that our cars become more and more eco-friendly from generation to generation.” Environmentally relevant improvements to the Sportage include the significant reduction of the vehicle’s weight. Although the third generation of the compact SUV has increased in length to 4.44 metres (an increase of 9 cm) the weight has been reduced by between 87 and 160 kilograms depending on the car’s specifications. The new Sportage uses the latest fuel-saving technologies, such as a start-stop system, and has a choice of four advanced engines, including a new 1.7 litre diesel and Kia’s very first petrol direct injection engine. These two engines will be available from the end of 2010, and with them the most eco-friendly version of the Sportage will have CO2 emissions of less than 140g per kilometre.
ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment
The ISO 14040 standard describes the principles and framework for a comparative, product-specific life cycle assessment (LCA). For cars, this includes the analysis of energy consumption and emissions and the assessment of the entire life cycle impact on the basis of all data, from raw material and component production to production at the car manufacturing plant right through to recycling. The environmental impact is assessed and the improvements on the previous model are shown in a radar chart.
TÜV Nord
The history of the TÜV (Technical Inspection Association) has its roots in the age of boiler inspection in the 19th century. The TÜV Nord, which is headquartered in Hanover, Germany, has more than 10,000 employees worldwide in 70 countries. The company’s activities range from technical inspections of power stations, aircraft and vehicles to food and animal feed safety standards and the certification of ethical management systems.
