Circularity.
The responsible use of resources is fundamentally important for the BMW Group. We aim to reduce consumption of resources by using high-quality secondary material. We also want to be able to track further use of raw materials in line with the principles of the circular economy. We consistently follow the guiding principle of the circular economy: RE:THINK, RE:DUCE, RE:USE and RE:CYCLE.
The BMW i Vision Circular – a fully-electric four-seater with a consistent focus on sustainability and luxury – is emblematic of the ambition of the BMW Group to become the most sustainable manufacturer for individual premium mobility.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY MAXIMISES RESOURCE EFFICIENCY.
We aim to extend our leading position in resource efficiency in production to the entire life cycle of our vehicles. The New Class is the latest large stride in this process.
Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG
Economical Use of Resources.
We take the economical use of resources into consideration as early as the design process and in product development. Bio-based raw materials help keep the ecological footprint as small as possible. Materials are recycled wherever it makes sense, closing the loop in the recycling chain. This means we do not view end-of-life vehicles as waste to be disposed of, but as a source of secondary raw materials. This is why the BMW Group actively promotes the return of end-of-life vehicles, components and materials into the raw materials cycle.
RECYCLING AND RETURN OF END-OF-LIFE VEHICLES.
Refurbishing and redesigning extend the life cycle of end-of-life vehicles. However, the BMW Group, together with its national sales companies, goes further with more than 2,800 return points in 30 countries offering environmentally friendly recycling.
RECYCLABILITY.
All vehicles launched since 2008 meet global legal requirements for recycling end-of-life vehicles, components and materials. Even today, 95 per cent of vehicles registered in the European Union must be recyclable. The BMW Group currently manufactures an average of just under 30 per cent of its vehicles from recycled and reused materials. The “Secondary First” approach will successively increase this figure to 50 per cent.
MINIMISATION OF WASTE GENERATION.
The BMW Group has developed recycling initiatives to minimise waste generation. These are adapted to the waste streams at the plants, to regional legal requirements and to the locally available disposal structures.
Digital finishes on surfaces means a reduction of hardware variants. Inside the car, smart control islands reduce the use of materials. Over-the-air updates and cloud computing keep the product technically up to date for longer.
VENTURING INTO VALUABLE TECH.
Through its own venture capital fund BMW i Ventures, the BMW Group has invested in key technologies that can make a decisive contribution towards achieving its long-term vision of carbon neutrality. In 2020, for example, BMWi Ventures invested in PureCycle, the first company in the world that can recycle polypropylene (an essential vehicle component) into a colourless and odourless native state. The BMW Group also invested in Prometheus Fuels, which has developed a technology that enables carbon-neutral synthetic fuels to be produced using green energy.
