BMW Electromobility BMW Sustainability Environment Climate Protection

BMW: DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY

For the BMW Group, sustainability is paramount. Our commitment can be clearly seen in the recent years and decades with the implementation of significant standards in the life cycle assessment of BMW vehicles - starting with the resources used, through energy consumption, to the recycling rate.

However, climate neutrality and emission-free mobility can only be achieved through a variety of electrified drive technologies. For this reason, and also to provide greater flexibility of choice for our customers, we continue to drive the development of hydrogen fuel cells in a technology-neutral approach. We have already presented the BMW i Hydrogen NEXT – next will be a small production series of the BMW i Hydrogen NEXT in 2022. Step by step, our path towards an environmentally friendly and emission-free future is becoming a reality.

SETTING THE COURSE IN THE VALUE-ADDED CHAIN.

BMW Sustainability green project value chain

Our goal is a sustainable value chain that covers its own needs with recyclates and renewable raw materials - including energy supply. What we have learned, is that it is not only the handling of resources, but also the reduction of CO2 emissions. Due to the increasing proportion of electrified models and the manufacture of their high-voltage batteries and intensive use of energy, we have to integrate particularly far-reaching measures along the value added chain with respect to reducing CO2. This is why the BMW Group will be establishing the CO2 footprint for the material supply chain when awarding contracts to suppliers. If we failed to do this, the increasing electrification would result in a sharp increase in CO2 emissions in the supply chain.

RESPONSIBILITY IS OUR DRIVE.

With projects like ‘Cobalt For Development’ we are bringing our sustainability strategy into our surroundings step by step and hence into all stages of our value-added chain. Through our guidelines, but also through support and promotion, we can ensure that our partners in the supply chain also systematically meet our high social and environmental standards.

PRODUCTION RECONCEIVED.

With the signing of the United Nations Environment Programme, the "International Declaration on Cleaner Production", in 2001, we committed ourselves to keeping environmental impacts and resource consumption in our worldwide production as low as possible. In order to monitor and analyse our far-reaching measures, we have introduced environmental management systems at all our existing production sites, which are constantly being developed and optimised. We are also setting an important course with our recycling operations.

Today, 99% of the waste generated by our global internal production of 2.5 million vehicles annually is recycled and recovered. And we are constantly working on raising this bar still higher.

SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS.

Here are some of the innovative and sustainable materials used by BMW.

BMW Electromobility BMW Sustainability wood FSC certificate

FSC certified wood.

The BMW Group works together closely with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and is actively committed to responsible and sustainable forestry by adhering to the strict standards. The decorative trim of the instrument panel in the BMW i3, for instance, is made of FSC-certified eucalyptus wood.

Kenaf.

Kenaf is a plant from the hibiscus family with fibres that are put to a wide range of commercial uses. The interior of the BMW i3 comprises 30% kenaf and consequently sets standards within automobile production for the sustainable deployment of resources.

Natural rubber.

Natural rubber is a material used for the production of tyres. Along with representatives of social institutions and natural rubber processing, we founded the independent Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) in 2019. The objective is to structure the entire value added chain of natural rubber so that it is demonstrably sustainable.

Econyl.

A good example of recycled materials meeting our premium standard in terms of their quality is the use of Econyl. It is nylon yarn that is extracted from nylon waste in a special process and is used, for example, in the production of carpets. We already use Econyl in the upper layer of floor coverings as well as in the floor mats of the BMW iX.

Aluminium.

Alongside steel, aluminium is the most important resource for BMW production. As a founding member of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), the BMW Group actively engages in a certification programme. It establishes and promotes sustainable standards among raw material suppliers. Today we are already using up to 50% secondary aluminium in selected components.

SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY IN THE UK

Thanks to BMW eDrive Zones, we are supporting the gradual implementation of designated areas with zero and low emissions, in cities across Europe. BMW eDrive Zones is a new digital service for BMW plug-in hybrid models that automates the process of switching to electric-only power when entering these designated environment zones. If the vehicle’s destination is programmed into the navigation system, it will also automatically conserve sufficient electric power for use during the part of the journey within the low emission zone.

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OUR HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERIES: A SUCCESS STORY.

Battery Recycling

We are taking back all used BMW high-voltage batteries worldwide – even though there is no legal requirement to do so. During their “second life”, vehicle batteries are put to use in stationary storage systems. In this way, we are integrating renewable energy, increasing stability and lowering energy costs for consumers. The best example of this is our BMW Group plant in Leipzig, Germany, with a storage farm consisting of about 700 BMW i3 batteries. In the case of batteries that have exceeded their useful life as stationary storage, too, we are recycling high-quality materials for the production of our new lithium-ion batteries.

New partnerships.

BMW Group UK has partnered with Off Grid Energy to create a sustainable, second-life solution for BMW electric vehicle (EV) batteries. BMW will supply Off Grid Energy with battery modules for them to adapt to create mobile power units, giving retired BMW EV batteries a useful second-life.

Green Suppliers

We have a contractual agreement with our cell manufacturers that only green electricity will be used in producing our fifth generation of battery cells. This will save around 10 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030. As a participant in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), we support our suppliers in taking measures to reduce CO2 emissions and increase the share of renewable energies.

BMW Electromobility BMW Sustainability green production recycling BMW i3

SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BMW i3.

The BMW i3 has a recycling rate of 95%. Remarkably, 30% of its interior comes from kenaf, which comes from a regenerative hibiscus plant. In order to produce the textile materials, we use an innovative yarn manufactured from granulates made of recycled PET bottles. Vehicle batteries also have a ‘second life’ in stationary storage systems, which supply clean energy to our production plants.

BMW Electromobility BMW Sustainability green production recycling recyclate

RECYCLATES.

Today we already use around 25% secondary steel, up to 50% secondary aluminium in certain components and up to 20% secondary thermoplastics. In this way, we are committed to life cycle engineering for efficient recycling, because the use of secondary materials reduces the CO2 footprint considerably.

BMW Electromobility BMW Sustainability green production recycling used cars

SECONDARY MATERIALS.

End-of-life vehicles, individual components are an essential source of secondary raw materials. In 30 countries and together with their national sales companies, we have already regulated the take-back of end-of-life vehicles for this purpose and offer environmentally compatible recycling at more than 3,000 take-back points worldwide.

BMW Electromobility BMW Sustainability energy

ENERGY EFFICIENT GENERATION.

We are systematically investing in the energy efficiency of our locations. Our explorations cover the use of hydrogen, biogas, biomass or geothermal energy. The use of green hydrogen can also play a key role here at suitable locations, and we are currently in the process of examining its efficiency for heat generation in a pilot plant.

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At the same time, we are optimising the energy efficiency of our production: we are reducing the demand for heating by reusing more waste heat from processes and securing thermal cycles. The use of digital techniques such as data analytics enables us to reduce electricity consumption through intelligent control and simultaneously minimise the quantity of scrap parts.

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