A climate-friendly carmaker requiring stricter laws sounds almost unbelievable, but right at Cop26 in Glasgow, BMW Group has sided with environmentalists and with positions radically from many of the other competing carmakers. And certainly this position is not surprising, given that it is not the first time, because the Munich-based company has been continuously present at the United Nations climate summit since 2008 and is also a partner of the Sustainable Innovation Forum (SIF) since 2015, where representatives from various stakeholders are looking for viable concepts for a future worth living.
BMW Gruoup at Cop26: “Just wait, it’s time to act”
As the opening speaker of the SIF event in the framework of COP26, BMW boss Oliver Zipse unequivocally urged everyone present to act: “The key to sustainability lies in innovation: in innovative technologies, but also in creative thinking that does not accept limitations. Above all, we must choose and follow together a binding path with clear objectives. Always according to the motto: Just wait. Enough with the strategies. It is time to act. Now”. According to the CEO of BMW this is the only way to ensure that the climate protection goals discussed are ultimately more than “hot air,” as many environmentalists rightly criticize given the countless exceptions and non-binding phrases.
Words that sound like a boulder for the “others” who have slipped away. At Cop26, BMW Group is committed to achieving the goal of being fully climate neutral by 2050. Furthermore, the two British brands, Rolls-Royce and MINI will be exclusively all-electric from the beginning of 2030. Also by this date, CO2 emissions from BMW Group vehicles are expected to decrease by more than 40%, with the Munich-based company taking into account not only the use phase, but also production, including extraction. raw material and component manufacturing by suppliers, as well as end-of-life recycling.
BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse
About this, Oliver Zipsand underlined the importance of building more infrastructures at the same time: “The increase in electromobility is the most important element on the road towards zero-impact mobility on the climate. But even in industrialized countries there is still a big obstacle: the lack of infrastructure ”.
In addition, the BMW Group has signed the “Business Ambition for 1,5° C” proposed by Cop26, expressing its support for measures to keep global temperature rise within 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels and to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
And to give substance to its declarations and objectives, the German manufacturer presented the BMW i Vision Circular at the IAA in Munich last week. This is intended to demonstrate that a car can be safely built in harmony with the requirements of the circular economy, and acts as an ambassador for the BMW Group’s long-term holistic approaches. In fact, the electric car is made up of 100% secondary materials and can be almost completely recycled after its use phase.