Global Compact Case Study 2002 - BMW Group

BMW CleanEnergy Project.
Global Compact Case Study 2002.
For these reasons, one objective has become consistently ever more important
for the BMW Group as an automobile manufacturer: to abandon the
consumption of finite energy sources, that means to switch to sustainable forms
of energy and to reduce drastically CO 2 -emissions.
The realization of this objective will call for an enormous economic, strategic and
political strength that can only be mastered by a broad-based social alliance. This
example of best practice for the United Nations Global Compact Learning Forum
website shall be seen as another small step towards this alliance.
What triggered the ”CleanEnergy Project”?
Considering the abovementioned finite nature of fossil fuel resources and the
aggravation of the global climate situation, the BMW Group started as early as
the 70’s to think about how mobility (as a basic human need and a prerequisite of
prosperity) can be sustainably provided in the future. This has led to a level of
expertise that, in alignment with BMW’s reputation as a driver of innovation,
culminated in the ”BMW CleanEnergy Project”.
For the BMW Group, ”CleanEnergy” means closing the loop for zero CO 2
emissions. The technical process for this is: water to hydrogen and back to water.
When used in vehicles, hydrogen is converted back into vapour and returned to
the atmosphere. One of the most important challenges will be the production of
hydrogen from renewable resources such as wind, solar or hydro energy, this will
transform our current economic system that is based on ”once-off consumption”
of resources into one based on their reuse. At the BMW Group, using the
detailed ”well to wheel” analysis process, we can ensure that we are not just
transferring emissions from fuel consumption stage to fuel production stage. As
we understand the CleanEnergy-System we feel responsible to ensure the
implementation of production, distribution and application of hydrogen based on
renewable energies.
In addition to the obvious effect of strengthening the BMW brand in a highly
competitive market, there is another side effect to this development: the BMW
Group prepares itself for internal and external requirements expected to be even
more stringent than current ones: e.g. the Kyoto Protocol 1997, the Association
of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA) CO 2 self-commitment to the
European Commission or the California Zero Emission Vehicle Legislation.
For more information on the background of these developments please refer to
BMW Group’s environmental policy at www.bmwgroup.com/responsibility.
BMW Group