Considering your next car purchase? The BMW Group is continuing to design for the future and driving forwards with sustainability through innovation …
Human happiness is dependent on the freedom of choice and one of the key choices many people now face is that between luxury and sustainability. However, it’s not an either/or option: the ultimate luxury and the responsibility of each individual, and every business is sustainability.
One company leading the way is the BMW Group, comprising BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, its motorbike division. It has risen to the challenge of designing cars that meet the requirements not only for today but the future, investing significantly in research and setting concrete targets to reduce CO2 emissions across the company’s entire value chain. Besides moving to electrify the entire vehicle portfolio and switching to renewable energy for manufacturing, the company is focusing particularly on circular economy principles and the use of secondary materials. At present, vehicles from the BMW Group are manufactured using nearly 30 per cent recycled and reused material. This “secondary first” approach will gradually increase to 50 per cent by 2025 for all new cars produced.
“We gave thorough consideration to circularity from the outset during the design process for the BMW iVision Circular. As a result, this Vision Vehicle is packed with innovative ideas for combining sustainability with a new, inspirational aesthetic – we call this approach ‘circular design’,” explains Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design. Its circular design philosophy embraces the four principles of RE:THINK, RE:DUCE, RE:USE and RE:CYCLE.
This impacts (and impresses) consumers in multiple ways, from design to driving experience and aesthetics. The BMW Group is launching its first vehicles featuring completely vegan interiors in 2023 for both BMW and MINI models, having developed bio-based synthetic leathers, such as Deserttex, made from cactus fibres, and Econyl, made from recycled fishing nets and ropes (sourced from ports around the world). These materials will be used for steering wheels. Floor mats made from recycled mono-material (avoiding material mixes that are more difficult to recycle). For numerous other materials – from steel and aluminium to plastic and glass, all the way to high-voltage batteries – new recycling processes are being developed and established in line with the principles of a circular economy.
“BMW has always known how to resolve apparent contradictions in its products,” explains Domagoj Dukec, Head of BMW Design. “With the BMW iVision Circular, we have set ourselves the challenge of designing a 100 per cent circular vehicle, while at the same time meeting – and in some respects exceeding – our customers’ self-evident expectations when it comes to lifestyle and luxury.”
Aligned with its sustainability mission, BMW Ireland has a long-term partnership with VOICE and Picker Pals to deliver a school-based litterpicking programme across Ireland. Picker Pals is designed to address the problem of waste in the environment, raise awareness of circular economy solutions and foster environmental stewardship in children and families. More than 1,060 schools will benefit from receiving this fun, engaging and environmental educational programme in 2022-23. “We aim to be a leader in sustainable business practices and this ambition reflects the work we are doing, from our supply chain to the production of our cars, to being a corporate citizen and doing good for our local community,” explains Kevin Davidson, Managing Director, BMW Group Ireland. To find out more about BMW’s sustainability mission visit www.bmw.com.
The Pawfect Partnership
To help dogs travel happier across the nation and become the first officially dog-friendly Irish car retailer by 2023, MINI has partnered with Dogs Trust, the Irish dog welfare charity. This initiative is the result of the huge increase in demand for dogs in Ireland since the start of the pandemic. Julie Bothwell, Head of Sales and Marketing for MINI Ireland explains, “It’s just as important to us that our four-legged customers love being in a MINI as much as the drivers do. We have had a lot of fun allowing dogs of all shapes and sizes put our cars through the ultimate tail-wagging tests. It’s part of our plan to become Ireland’s first officially dog-friendly car retailer.” Not only does MINI stock a range of pet products which includes a dog guard and rear compartment mat, the generous boot space of the MINI Countryman, the convenient split rear doors of the MINI Clubman, ease of access, smooth handling, high quality interiors and the new dog pack, mean that every pooch can be matched with its perfect MINI partner. To find out more about the MINI and Dogs Trust Ireland partnership, visit www.MINI.ie.
