Munich. When it comes to sustainability, major
corporations have a key role to play. The BMW Group acknowledged this
fact long ago and outperforms industry rivals by far in terms of CO2
emissions per vehicle produced. But as new powertrains such as
e-drives gain momentum, the approach to sustainable vehicle production
is changing. In an interview, BMW AG Management Board Chairman Oliver
Zipse explains the BMW Group’s ambitious goals and outlines what
aspects of sustainability will be the key focal points in the future.
Mr Zipse, ever since your first public appearance as BMW CEO
at the IAA International Motor Show, you have underlined the
importance of climate and environmental protection. You’ve been in
the job almost a year now and the world is in the midst of a crisis
unlike anything we’ve seen before. How much room does that leave for sustainability?
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown the global economy off course
within a very short space of time, and this has also led to
significant cutbacks in a number of BMW Group projects. But as I have
always made clear: There can be no compromise when it comes to climate
and environmental protection. It is a decisive topic for the future of
our society. That’s why it is so important to set the right course now
in these challenging times. In fact, we will even be stepping up the pace.
What does that mean exactly? The BMW Group had set itself
targets for emissions reductions by 2020.
Those were for resource consumption and the emissions we generate
directly as a company – for example, from production. We were very
successful: We lowered energy consumption per vehicle produced by more
than 40 percent and were even able to reduce waste and CO2
emissions by over 70 percent. It’s also no coincidence that our
CO2 emissions per vehicle produced are much lower than for
the rest of the German auto industry, for example. In short, we met
nearly all our targets last year already. So, we were able to start
developing a completely new sustainability strategy for the future
earlier than expected.
And what does it look like?
I don’t want to reveal all the details today before the final formal
decisions are made, but I can tell you that the approach is radically
holistic: We will be taking the topic of sustainability to a whole new
level. What we aspire to remains the same: We are focused on having a
real and transparent impact. That’s why we will once again be setting
ourselves clear and measurable goals – but, this time, they will
extend far beyond our direct sphere of influence.
You’ll have to give us a concrete example.
To contribute effectively to climate protection, we will need to
improve our products’ overall environmental balance – from resources
to recycling. As e‑mobility gains more and more traction, the focus of
CO2 reduction will shift to upstream added value – and,
especially, the energy-intensive production of high-voltage batteries.
Up to 40 percent of a fully-electric vehicle’s CO2
emissions come from battery cell production alone. Depending on where
they are produced and the electricity mix used there, about a third of
these emissions come from power consumption directly at the cell
manufacturer. This is a major and very effective lever for reducing
CO2 – so that is precisely where we are focusing our efforts.
How is this supposed to work? The BMW Group doesn’t produce
cells itself.
As a leader in sustainability, what we say carries a lot of weight
with our suppliers – and we can then leverage this reputation. We now
have a contractual agreement with our cell manufacturers that they
will use only green power to produce our fifth-generation battery
cells. Later this year we will launch this technology with the BMW iX3
and then roll it out across our product line-up – including the BMW
iNEXT and BMW i4 next year. As volumes increase, the use of green
power will save around ten million tonnes of CO2 over the
next decade. For comparison, that is roughly the amount of CO2
a city of over a million inhabitants, like Munich, emits per year.
Does that mean CO2 reductions will only come from suppliers?
It works best when manufacturers and suppliers work together. The
only way we can motivate our partners to take these kinds of steps is
by continuing to lead by example. This is what we are very clearly
doing with our new strategy. The successes we are having – here and
now – underline how important this topic is to us: In addition to
reducing resource consumption and emissions significantly, we are also
fully on track to meet our CO2 fleet targets in the EU.
This will also be the first year all plants operated by the BMW Group,
as well as our BBA joint venture in China, will obtain their
electricity exclusively from renewable energy sources. Our partners
know we aren’t satisfied with just making announcements for the
distant future. We deliver and will continue to do so.
How can the public check that you are continuing to deliver?
This previously took place through our Sustainable Value Report – and
is another area where we are now taking the next step: Starting next
year, we will be integrating the topic of sustainability into our
Annual Report. This not only sends a clear signal that we consider our
business model and sustainability to be inseparable – but also that we
will be subjecting our sustainability activities to even broader
external and independent review than in the past.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Max-Morten Borgmann, Corporate Communications
max-morten.borgmann@bmw.de, Telephone: +49-89-382-24118
Eckhard Wannieck, head of Corporate and Culture Communications
eckhard.wannieck@bmwgroup.com,
Telephone: +49-89-382-24544
Media website: www.press.bmwgroup.com
Email: presse@bmwgroup.com
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW
Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.
The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly
facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in
more than 140 countries.
In 2019, the BMW Group sold over 2.5 million passenger vehicles and
more than 175,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2019 was € 7.118 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 104.210 billion. As of 31 December 2019, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 126,016 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
www.bmwgroup.com
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