In an inspiring atmosphere at the pop-up event location MUCBOOK CLUBHOUSE Franzi in the station district, around 70 guests will discuss the topic "Sustainable & Circular - Buzzwords or a serious goal of the automotive industry?" in the 3rd Speaker Series "Future of Mobility" on July 7, 2022.
Our experts Dr. Irene Feige (Head of Climate Strategy and Circular Economy at BWM) and Prof. Markus Lienkamp (mobility expert and Chair of Automotive Engineering at the Technical University of Munich) provided them with a wide range of input
Irene Feige took a particularly exciting look at the realignment of the entire value chain in BMW's production. The aim is to achieve complete climate neutrality by 2050 and a 60 percent reduction by 2030 - across the entire value chain. This was confirmed by BMW's top management by signing the "Business Ambition for 1.5 C of the Science Based Target Initiative" sealed. One practical example is the use of leather in car interiors, which is to be replaced by sustainable and lower-emission materials. Another very visual example is the use of steel for the bodywork in its original, raw state. A positive contribution is also to be made to the aforementioned goals with regard to the batteries used by recycling raw materials such as nickel, lithium and cobalt. In addition to these measures relating to individual materials, BMW has agreed standards with all suppliers with regard to environmental protection and working conditions. These are regularly checked for compliance and, in the event of non-compliance with the standards, lead to the supplier being excluded from the supplier pool.
In contrast, our second speaker, Prof. Markus Lienkamp, gave a scientifically sound insight into the measurable impacts and effects of tomorrow's mobility. He emphasized the great ecological and economic benefits of electric vehicles as sharing vehicles, summing up the solution with the three words "AVOID; REDUCE; IMPROVE". A practical example from the company's own environment is the use of public transport, which makes a positive contribution to compliance with emission values when used at high capacity. Markus Lienkamp also provided an insight into how CO2 emissions are reduced when using electromobility compared to the use of petrol or diesel vehicles in relation to the range. This brought us back to our guiding principle: If we want to achieve our climate protection goals, we need to avoid, shift and improve mobility.
The subsequent discussion then revolved around questions from the audience:
One guest wanted to know whether BMW also has sustainability in production in addition to sustainability in the supply chains? The answer was enthusiastic: BMW is currently building a completely climate-neutral plant in which production takes place without CO2 emissions.
The question also arose as to whether old petrol cars could simply be converted into electric cars in order to save raw materials and recycle them better. Markus Lienkamp had to reject this idea, however, as normal combustion vehicles are only suitable for conversion to a limited extent, as the batteries cannot be placed in the engine compartment due to their weight.
We would like to thank Dr. Irene Feige and Prof. Markus Lienkamp for the interesting exchange and their insights into the future of mobility. A big thank you also goes to our host Fabienne Fuss.
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