Munich
. The BMW Group made significant progress in shaping
sustainable mobility in 2017. For the first time, the company sold
more than 100,000 electrified vehicles in a single year. Although the
percentage of diesel vehicles in Europe decreased, fleet consumption
was further reduced – to an average of 122 grams per kilometre. As
part of its holistic approach to decarbonisation, a major breakthrough
in energy supply was also achieved at the company’s production
locations. In 2017, for the first time, 100 percent of the electricity
purchased by the BMW Group in Europe came from renewable energies. The
BMW Group also expanded its pioneering role in procurement of relevant
raw materials for electromobility in 2017 – for example, by making its
cobalt supply chain much more transparent.
The new Sustainable Value Report 2017, which will be published to
coincide with the company’s Annual Report on 21 March 2018, provides a
detailed overview of all facts and figures. The message is clear: The
BMW Group is committed to creating sustainable mobility – from
suppliers, to production, to the end of the vehicle lifecycle.
“For us, sustainability means future viability – for the BMW Group
and for society. We know the challenges and are rising to meet them.
We develop innovative mobility solutions that create additional value
for customers, the company and society,” said Harald Krüger, Chairman
of the Board of Management of BMW AG: “The BMW Group doesn’t just make
project announcements – we also ensure they are implemented.”
By focusing early on electromobility, the BMW Group has already
earned itself a leading position in the market for electrified
vehicles. In an expanded competitive environment, it is the clear
leader in registrations of new fully-electric and plug-in hybrid
vehicles in Europe, with a market share of 21 percent. The BMW Group’s
percentage of the electrified vehicle segment is therefore already
three times its market share with traditional models.
This success in selling electrified vehicles also helped the BMW
Group make further progress in decarbonising its product portfolio in
2017. Despite the decreasing share of diesels in core markets, the BMW
Group reduced its average CO2 fleet emissions in Europe to
122 grams/kilometre (previous year: 124g/km). Consequently, CO2
emissions are 42 percent lower than they were in 1995. The aim
is to achieve a reduction of 50 percent by 2020.
“In line with its holistic sustainability strategy, the BMW Group is
focusing its climate protection activities not just on products, but
also on emissions at its production locations. The BMW Group’s
long-term aim is to achieve CO2-free production worldwide”, says
Ursula Mathar, head of BMW Group’s Sustainability and Environmental
Protection. Another important milestone in this direction was reached
in 2017: For the first time in Europe, all purchased electricity came
from 100-percent renewable energies. The goal is for all other
locations worldwide to follow suit by 2020.
A large number of projects helped the BMW Group manage its energy
resources more efficiently in 2017 and continue to reduce its
CO2 footprint: For example, wind turbines at the Leipzig
site ensure that the BMW i3 is produced using solely
CO2-free electricity. A new battery farm at the same
location enables energy from the plant’s wind turbines to be
integrated into the power grid. In this way, up to 700 used BMW i3
high-voltage batteries are given a “second life”, which extends their
usefulness beyond the end of the vehicle lifecycle and saves resources.
The growing use of high-voltage batteries in electrified vehicles and
second-life utilisation concepts places increasing demands on a clean,
transparent supply chain. This applies, for example, to the raw
material cobalt. In 2017, the BMW Group became the first automobile
manufacturer worldwide to publicly release information on smelters and
countries of origin for the raw material. The BMW Group is also
currently working with an independent partner to explore how the
social and environmental situation can be sustainably improved in a
model mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
These and many other facts and figures on holistic implementation of
the BMW Group sustainability strategy in the areas “products and
services”, “production and value creation” and “employees and society”
can be found in the new Sustainable Value Report 2017.
The substance of sustainable development, as well as reporting
transparency, are also recognised by international experts: The BMW
Group is the only automobile manufacturer to feature in the rating
published by RobecoSAM AG for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices
(DJSI) every year since 1999. In the rating compiled by the Carbon
Disclosure Project (CDP), the BMW Group once again earned the highest
“A” rating for transparency and climate protection measures for the
eighth consecutive year. The BMW Group also achieved the top “A”
rating in the CDP’s Global Water Report, which evaluates responsible
use of water. In the most recent ranking compiled in 2016 by the
Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and the business
association “Future e.V.”, the BMW Group’s Sustainable Value Report
was named best sustainability report published by a major German company.
The BMW Group has published sustainable value reports since 2001 and,
since 2013, solely as an interactive PDF. The 2017 report was once
again compiled in accordance with the guidelines of the Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI standards; comprehensive level) and meets
the criteria of the CSR reporting standard in Germany in full. All
quantitative and qualitative statements in the 2017 report were also
verified by an external auditing firm (PricewaterhouseCoopers) under
the following criteria: materiality, stakeholder inclusiveness,
clarity, completeness, accuracy, reliability and comparability.
Independent assurance was performed in accordance with the ISAE 3000
Standard (International Standard of Assurance Engagements).
If you have any questions, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Kai Zöbelein
Sustainability Communications
Telephone:
+49 (0)89 382-21170
Email:
Kai.Zoebelein@bmw.de
Media website: www.press.bmw.de
Email: presse@bmw.de
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 30 production and assembly
facilities in 14 countries; the company has a global sales network in
more than 140 countries.
In 2017, the BMW Group sold over 2,463,500 passenger vehicles and
more than 164,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 129,932 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.
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