CIRCLING THE EARTH Globally, the BMW Group has consistently been among the top-rated companies in major sustainable rankings for many years and rules the roost in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the Carbon Disclosure Project. In order to live up to the claim of being the most sustainable premium manufacturer, the BMW Group is continuously reducing CO2 emissions and resources used per vehicle. Since 2006, the BMW Group has reduced its global consumption of energy and water in vehicle production, waste and waste water volume as well as solvents and CO2 emissions per vehicle produced by an average of 53.2%. In the same period, due to efficient use of resources, cost savings totalling €161 million were made. In line with its ‘Design for Recycling’ approach, it creates vehicles in such a way that their components can largely be reused or recycled efficiently throughout their whole lifecycle. "Some decisive influencing factors are the choice of materials, production technologies, supplier selection, the choice of drivetrain types and the recyclability of the vehicle’s components," says Dr Stallkamp.
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COVER STORY BMW GROUP PLANT CHENNAI
All BMW Group vehicles brought onto the market since 2008 meet the requirements for the recycling of end-of-life vehicles, components and materials (95% total recycling, 85% reuse and material recycling). The environmentally-friendly use of raw materials is taken into account as early as the vehicle development phase via ‘Life Cycle Engineering’. Up to 20% of the thermoplastic materials in the vehicles are now made from recyclates. These materials account for an average of 12% of vehicle weight. The company uses up to 50% secondary aluminium in high-strength cast aluminium parts. Wherever it makes technical, business and environmental sense and is socially viable, it replaces artificial materials with renewable materials. For example, it replaced supports of door trim panels with natural fibres. These are used in the BMW 7 Series and BMW 5 Series models, among others. Renewable raw materials such as textile fibers, wool, eucalyptus wood, recycled granulate and plant fibres are carefully chosen to create a sustainable interior for the cars. The BMW i range is a classic example of BMW’s philosophy of cradle-to-grave sustainability. Innovative manufacturing technologies and the application of new materials characterise the production process for BMW i cars. Compared to the conventional car production, making a BMW i model requires 50% less energy and 70% less water. Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) roof panel of BMW i cars is made partially with recycled CFRP from the manufacturing processes of other components. The CFRP components are sustainably produced in Moses Lake, WA, where the factory uses hydroelectric power. In Leipzig, Germany, assembly plant uses windgenerated electricity. Moreover, 25% of plastic used in the interior is comprised of recycled materials. The instrument panel and door trims are made from Kenaf plant fibres. Dashboard wood trim is crafted from responsibly-forested eucalyptus and olive-leaf extract is used to tan interior leather surfaces. Dr Stallkamp says that the Chennai plant too uses solar cells on its roof, which converts into electric energy. "Out next endeavour is looking into using wind energy which is also available in surplus in the Southern part of India," he adds. At BMW Group Plant Chennai, the 1350kwp solar photovoltaic system caters to 61% of the plant energy consumption. It saves 50% of the lighting usage by utilising LED lighting. Besides this, fresh air fans have been replaced by energy efficient HVLS fans, saving 30% of energy in the ventilation system. About 99.4% of waste generated at the Chennai plant is recycled. Waste water from the plant is recycled. Such moves should see an increase in momentum for BMW Group in the Indian luxury car market.
Manufacturing Today | JULY 2018
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