K-pop Fans Force Hyundai to Ditch Aluminum Supply Deal

Hyundai is forced to end its deal with an Indonesian aluminum supplier after millions of K-pop fans support a climate campaign against the deal.

Campaigners say the automaker would be using metal smelted with greenhouse-gas-heavy coal-fired energy. Ironically, Hyundai had signed the agreement with PT Adaro Minerals Indonesia in 2022 in a bid to reduce its own carbon footprint by using more sustainable and recyclable materials, such as aluminum, in its vehicles, Reuters reports.

However, the use of coal to smelt the material triggered a campaign by a climate activist group, Kpop4Planet. Thousands of fans joined the call to ditch the deal, forcing Hyundai to back down in the face of a potential public relations disaster.

Hyundai Motor says it is ending its non-binding memorandum of understanding with Adaro, a unit of Indonesia's second-largest coal miner Adaro Energy Indonesia, at the end of 2023.

Kpop4Planet tells Reuters, “It is the victory of thousands of K-pop fans who genuinely care about the climate crisis, especially in Indonesia”, adding that it continues to monitor Hyundai's sourcing of materials for manufacturing.