Munich. The BMW Group made further progress in
shaping sustainable mobility last year, as documented by its new Sustainable Value Report 2018. The report will
be released on 20 March 2019 to coincide with publication of the
company’s Annual Report 2018 and will also be available online from
this date. It provides information on current measures and
achievements during the 2018 reporting year, as well as updates on
concrete progress towards fulfilment of the company’s sustainability goals.
“Sustainability is a holistic task that is firmly anchored in our
corporate strategy,” says Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of
Management of BMW AG. “In addition to developing innovative products
and services, responsible use of resources is another central concern
of all that we do – with clear objectives and measures that we are
setting for ourselves and successfully implementing.”
New benchmarks for resource efficiency.
As part of its holistic sustainability strategy, the BMW Group is not
only concentrating on building more and more efficient vehicles, but
also on various aspects of resource efficiency in its international
production network.
In 2018, the BMW Group set new records in this area. Relative
CO2 emissions per vehicle produced decreased by an average
of 2.4 percent year-on-year to a new low of 0.40 tons per vehicle. In
the past five years alone, this figure has been reduced by around 39
percent. The same applies to absolute CO2 emissions for the
production network, which were 2.7 percent lower than the previous
year. The BMW Group sites also set a new benchmark for energy
consumption per vehicle produced in 2018: Vehicle production required
2.12 megawatt hours of power per vehicle, which is 2.3 percent less,
on average, than in 2017.
The new benchmarks for production can be traced to various measures
implemented in 2018. For example, the final switch to LED lighting at
the company’s German plants has produced effective energy savings.
With 79 percent of electricity purchased worldwide from renewable
energies, the BMW Group very nearly reached the high level of the
previous year. Since 2017, all European BMW Group locations have
sourced their electricity from renewable energies. The company’s site
in Brazil also reached this milestone in 2018.
Further expansion of electromobility.
By focusing early on electromobility, the BMW Group has earned itself
a leading position worldwide. With a total of 75,000 electrified
vehicles delivered to customers in 2018, the BMW Group was the clear
market leader in Europe. Worldwide, the company sold more than 140,000
electrified models. Thanks to significant growth in sales of
fully-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, average CO2
fleet emissions in 2018 remained at the same level as the previous
year, despite a further decrease in diesel sales. Over the next few
years, the BMW Group will gradually release additional electrified
models like the MINI Electric, the BMW iX3 and the BMW iNEXT, which
will significantly reduce CO2 and pollutant emissions. As
part of its holistic approach to electromobility, the BMW Group will
also be expanding the necessary infrastructure. The charging service
ChargeNow already gives customers access to more than 223,000 public
charging points worldwide.
Human rights and environmental standards in global supplier chains.
The BMW Group is a strong advocate for a transparent and
resource-efficient supply chain. Various measures and initiatives in
the year under review helped promote compliance with environmental and
social standards for raw material procurement. In this context, the
company issued its BMW Group Code on Human Rights and Working
Conditions in 2018, based on a due diligence process that is also
mandatory for suppliers and sales partners.
Employee orientation and social commitment.
The BMW Group relies on a diverse, capable and highly qualified
workforce. Occupational safety measures once again reduced the
accident frequency rate in 2018. In order to actively develop the
skills and strengths of individual employees, spending on vocational
and further education programmes was significantly increased in 2018.
The BMW Group relies on an ever more diverse workforce: In 2018, the
percentage of women employed at the company overall and in management
positions rose again. In the area of corporate citizenship as well,
the BMW Group is engaged in promoting diversity and strong women. The
company’s Intercultural Innovation Award recognises, for instance,
organisations that work to achieve cultural diversity, foster
intercultural relations and promote the rights of women worldwide.
Around 70 per cent of the winners of the Intercultural Innovation
Award are female (https://interculturalinnovation.org/).
The BMW Group values equal opportunities in education. Children and
adolescents, regardless of religion, culture or country of origin,
have a right to equal access to education. In 2018, the BMW Group’s
educational projects focussing on technology and science reached over
316,000 children and adolescents – double the number achieved in 2017.
The aim is to reach one million children and adolescents in 2025.
The BMW Group sustainability strategy.
Consistent integration of sustainability into its business model and
corporate strategy NUMBER ONE NEXT secures the BMW Group’s future
viability and competitiveness. The company is also aware of its
responsibility for addressing global issues. To meet its standards as
the most successful and sustainable premium provider of individual
mobility, the company has systematically pursued ten long-term
sustainability goals since 2012. The Sustainable Value Report
documents concrete results under these strategic guidelines every
year. The BMW Group also provides additional information and examples
of the company’s focus on sustainability on its website and in its
sustainability newsletter.
Reporting standard and audit quality.
The BMW Group has published Sustainable Value Reports since 2001 –
since 2013, solely as an interactive PDF. The 2018 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 2018 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).
Assessing the BMW Group’s sustainable orientation.
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 earned a place in the category
“Leadership” with an “A-” rating for transparency and climate
protection measures in the year under review. In the most recent
ranking compiled in 2018 by the Institute for Ecological Economy
Research (IÖW) and the business association “future”, the BMW Group’s
Sustainable Value Report 2017 was named the second-best sustainability
report published by a major German company. In an industry comparison,
the BMW Group’s report is the clear leader.
The “Sustainable Value Report 2018” will be available from 20 March
2019 online under the
following link: