"Let's Turn Old Cars into New Cars" BMW's Vision for a Sustainable Future

"Producing Parts by Recycling Old Cars... Carbon Reduction through Circular Economy"
Introducing Sustainability Research Activities at German Research Innovation Center Workshop
New Car Recycled Material Usage to Exceed 50% from 2025
Sequential Launch of Vegan Interiors and Vehicles Recycling Marine Waste

Hillke Shea, BMW Advisor, is explaining vehicle parts made using secondary materials.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] "Making electric vehicles or enabling them to travel long distances with less fuel does not mean the problem is solved. To be sustainable, we must consider not only one sector but also the carbon emissions throughout the entire supply chain." (Kerstin Mierwald, Head of BMW Sustainability Experience Division)

Electric vehicles are called eco-friendly cars because, unlike internal combustion engines, they produce no emissions during driving. However, since fossil fuels are used in the process of generating electricity for charging the vehicles, and carbon emissions still occur during the procurement and processing of raw materials for the body and parts, it is difficult to consider them fully eco-friendly cars yet. This is why there is a growing argument that the entire vehicle life cycle (LCA, Life Cycle Assessment), from material procurement and processing to obtaining power energy, must be examined to understand the environmental impact.

At the 'Sustainability through Innovation' workshop held on the 15th (local time) at BMW's Research and Innovation Center (FIZ) in Munich, Germany, various technologies and research activities that BMW Group has pursued or plans to introduce were presented. Mierwald said, "A holistic approach is necessary to protect the planet and respond to climate change," adding, "To reduce carbon emissions per vehicle by 40%, various innovative technologies are required."

Simon Bonner, a BMW researcher, is explaining parts made from recycled marine waste.

Applying the concept of a circular economy throughout the vehicle manufacturing process is also part of carbon reduction efforts. According to BMW, the average proportion of recycled materials (secondary materials) in their new cars currently is less than 30%. They are conducting research and development with the goal of increasing this ratio to over 50% for new cars starting in 2025. This includes using single raw materials that are easier to process into secondary materials or assembling parts such as seats and bumpers with joints that facilitate easy disassembly.

In the past, the process of manufacturing and consuming vehicles involved processing natural materials and discarding them, causing resources to flow in one direction. Going forward, BMW plans to raise the level of technology for reprocessing end-of-life vehicles to ultimately establish a circular system where all resources are recycled.

Considering that the typical vehicle lifespan is about 10 to 15 years, it is already time to take action to prepare for the market environment after the 2030s. Hilke Scheer, BMW advisor, said, "Because it is difficult to recycle parts or materials with the existing vehicle manufacturing methods, it is necessary to consider from the development and design stages to methods that allow easy recycling at the dismantling stage after scrapping."

Prototype product of a plug-in hybrid battery case. The left side is made with more than 90% secondary raw materials, while the right side is made solely from primary raw materials. The company explained that there is no significant difference in appearance or basic performance.

In the same context, some models to be released next year will apply vegan interior materials and use marine waste to produce parts. Vehicle seats and steering wheels usually use durable leather because they come into direct contact with drivers or passengers. BMW plans to manufacture interior finishes using carbon-free materials such as artificial leather, bio-based materials that do not use petroleum, and bio-based polyurethane matrices made from cacti.

The method of recycling marine waste such as discarded fishing nets and ropes for interior and exterior parts will be applied to the strategic product line 'Neue Klasse' to be launched in 2025. Unlike previous uses of recycled waste materials mainly for textile parts, BMW has expanded the scope to include injection-molded parts.

Benedikt Bestmeier, BMW researcher, explained, "While animal leather or wood materials are procured over several years, new materials can be supplied within a short period. Although some technologies are still in the early development stage and high costs are obstacles, it is entirely possible to reduce carbon emissions while maintaining the same level of quality and cost as before."

While BMW's strategy is clearly the right direction, it is undoubtedly a challenging task. Due to the nature of automobiles, quality and safety standards are higher than other manufactured goods, and numerous suppliers must collaborate to procure tens of thousands of parts. Competitors such as Mercedes and Volkswagen, as well as renowned German manufacturers and IT companies like Bosch and ZF, have formed the supply chain network 'Catena-X' because they recognize that alliances are necessary at this stage. Although supply chain information is sensitive and can affect each company's competitiveness, individual company efforts alone have limitations.

Advisor Scheer said, "Until two years ago, applying a circular economy to the automotive industry was hard to imagine, but by breaking down the entire process and collaborating with suppliers, we were able to increase understanding. Pursuing sustainability is essential not only as members of society but also to maintain corporate competitiveness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.