BMW Group at COP 26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow: “No more waiting. No more clever tactics. It’s time to act. Now!”
by Prashant Kapadia/NHN
Munich/Glasgow. It is a commitment born of tradition and responsibility: The BMW Group has attended every UN climate summit since 2008. At this year’s COP 26 in Glasgow, the company once again sees itself as a provider of innovative mobility solutions in the fight against climate change. The BMW Group 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 Group as a partner of the Sustainable Innovation Forum
The BMW Group 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, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG Oliver Zipse will give the keynote speech for the three-day event in Glasgow 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.”
BMW Group commits to goal of total climate neutrality by 2050
Every gram of CO2 counts – no matter where it is emitted. All available technologies for reduction must be utilised. The BMW Group 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. The BMW Group is also a member of the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) and signed the “Business Ambition for 1.5°C” pledge ahead of COP 26. This is an important step, in line with the most ambitious objective of the Paris Climate Agreement and commits the company to the goal of total climate neutrality by 2050.
By 2030, over 50% of sales fully electric – MINI and Rolls-Royce all-electric in ten years
The BMW Group released the first electric car produced in Germany on a large scale, the BMW i3, back in 2013. By 2030, more than 50% of its annual vehicle sales will be fully electric. Furthermore, its two British brands, Rolls-Royce and MINI, will be exclusively all-electric from the early 2030s onwards. In this connection, Oliver Zipse underlined the importance of building infrastructure at the same time: “Ramping up electromobility is the single most important factor on the road to climate-neutral mobility. But even in industrialised countries, there is still one major obstacle: the lack of infrastructure.”
Circular economy: The purest form of Sheer Driving Pleasure
Another focal point for the BMW Group is the circular economy: Humans consume more than 100 billion tonnes of raw materials every year – and that number is rising. In addition, processing of many primary raw materials is extremely energy-intensive and therefore also carbon-intensive. That is why the BMW Group is pursuing the vision of a circular economy, with the aim of keeping raw materials in the cycle for as long as possible. The BMW i Vision Circular is in Glasgow as both an exhibit and to spark debate. It demonstrates in very tangible form, how a vehicle can be produced using 100% secondary materials – and where the challenges lie.
BMW Group Dialogue 2021 – realising change together with partners
The BMW Group already held a stakeholder dialogue on the subject of the circular economy in Glasgow on 7 November. BMW Group vehicles currently average around 30% secondary materials. Going forward, the company aims to increase this amount to 50%. The BMW Group discussed how this can be achieved and what hurdles need to be overcome with around 25 high-level international stakeholders at its dialogue event. Alongside the BMW Group’s Vice President Sustainability and Mobility, Dr Thomas Becker, renowned Cradle-to-Cradle pioneer Prof. Michael Braungart also served as a catalyst for discussion.
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 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million passenger vehicles and more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2020 was € 5.222 billion on revenues amounting to € 98.990 billion. As of 31 December 2020, the BMW Group had a workforce of 120,726 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set its course for the future early on and is making sustainability and resource efficiency the focus of the company’s strategic direction – from the supply chain, through production, to the end of the use phase, for all its products.
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