It is a commitment born of tradition and responsibility: BMW has attended every UN climate summit since 2008. At this year’s COP 26 in Glasgow, the company once again saw itself as a provider of innovative mobility solutions in the fight against climate change.
BMW brought along the BMW i Vision Circular, produced from 100% secondary materials, as a clear statement of its ambitions. The company is also actively engaging in dialogue with stakeholders and partners in Glasgow, discussing both unresolved issues and a range of possible solutions.
BMW has been a partner of the Sustainable Innovation Forum (SIF) since the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015. The SIF is one of the most important economic forums within the COP framework, bringing together representatives from the political sector, cities, NGOs, the financial world and industry. For the first time, BMW Chairman Oliver Zipse delivered the keynote speech this year, setting clear priorities: “The key to sustainability lies in innovation: in innovative technologies, but also in innovative thinking that accepts no boundaries. Most importantly, together we must choose and follow a binding path with clear goals. Always according to the motto: No more waiting. No more clever tactics. It’s time to act. Now.”
Every gram of CO2 counts – no matter where it is emitted. All available technologies for reduction must be utilised.
BMW has set itself a firm and verifiable interim goal for 2030 throughout its entire value chain: to reduce CO2 emissions from its vehicles by at least 40% – starting with the raw material, through the supply chain, production and the use phase, all the way to recycling. Public verifiability of this reduction takes place through the Integrated BMW Group Report, which documents sustainable development indicators with equal weighting as key business figures.
BMW vehicles currently average around 30% secondary materials, and going forward, the company aims to increase this amount to 50%. BMW discussed how this can be achieved and what hurdles need to be overcome with around 25 high-level international stakeholders.
The company sees this lively exchange as an extraordinary opportunity to bring different interest groups together and to promote dialogue on topics that are essential to our society as a whole.