178 million hectares.*
This is how much forest has been lost worldwide since 1990. Forests are not only major carbon sinks, but also an essential habitat for many species of plants and animals, as they are home to about 60,000 species of trees, 80% of all amphibians, 75% of all birds, and 68% of all mammals, making them crucial for both responding to climate change and conserving biodiversity.

To contribute to mitigating climate change and conserving biodiversity, Hyundai Motor Company has been promoting its ‘IONIQ Forest’ project, which involves planting trees to create a better world for future generations, as part of its Hyundai Continue CSV initiatives.

The ‘IONIQ Forest’ project has a goal of encouraging coexistence between the Earth and humans and began in 2016 with the planting of 22,250 air-purifying trees at the Incheon landfill, transforming it into a forest. This forest is helping to improve air quality by reducing particulate matter in the air.

In 2019, the ‘IONIQ Forest’ project was brought into classrooms through donations of indoor air-purifying plants in 33 elementary schools and 924 classrooms in Seoul and the metropolitan area, creating classroom forest. These classroom forest help improve indoor air quality and absorb airborne particulate matter, providing a better environment for children.

In 2021, as the era of living with COVID-19 increased interest in natural healing and scenic outdoor travel, Hyundai Motor Company launched the ‘IONIQ Forest Sinsido’ project. Through this project, 4,750 trees, including a camellia forest path, were planted at the National Sinsido Recreational Forest in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, providing a space for visitors to experience the healing power of nature.

In 2023, Hyundai Motor Company expanded its conservation project by planting 15,500 trees, including Korean fir, an endangered species designated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and tulip trees in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, to serve as a biodiversity research forest.

Additionally, Hyundai Motor Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute and Tree Planet in 2024 to promote sustainable forest ecosystem restoration.

Under this agreement, Hyundai Motor Company plans to focus on restoring and creating eco-friendly forests along the eastern coast of South Korea, the area most affected by wildfires. These collaborative forest restoration and monitoring efforts will involve the eco-friendly ‘IONIQ Drone Station,’ forest management vehicles based on the IONIQ 5 that will facilitate more systematic research into ecosystem restoration.

Hyundai Motor Company has expanded the ‘IONIQ Forest’ project beyond South Korea and into North America, the Czech Republic, Vietnam, Brazil, Germany, Turkey, and India. In North America, Hyundai is creating forest in collaboration with local communities through employee volunteering, and in the Czech Republic, seeds and saplings are being planted in the Beskydy Mountains while monitoring rare butterfly populations.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Company plans to continue its eco-friendly projects, including planting a total of 1 million trees worldwide by 2025.