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.
BMW ELECTRIC
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.
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 electric and plug-in hybrid models and the manufacture of their high-voltage batteries and intensive use of energy, we have to integrate particularly far-reaching measures along with 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.
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.
With the signing of the United Nations Environment Programme, the "International Declaration on Cleaner Production", in 2001, we committed ourselves to keep 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
BMW at Halliwell Jones.
MINI at Halliwell Jones
