When talking about the automotive industry and the part it’s playing in climate change, one has to take into account every possible aspect, not just tailpipe emissions. The approach towards cutting CO2 emissions must include not just the end product but also how that product was made and delivered. To this end, BMW announced it will be joining the Getting to Zero Coalition, in an effort to slash CO2 emissions of its international maritime shipping.
The objective of this initiative is to use zero-emission cargo vessels from 2030. The Getting to Zero Coalition is a partnership between the Global Maritime Forum, the Friends of Ocean Action and the World Economic Form.
“Maritime transport is crucial for supplying the BMW Group’s international manufacturing network and for the global distribution of vehicles. We see the Getting to Zero Coalition of various governments, companies and other cross-sector stakeholders as a unique opportunity to continuously minimize carbon emissions in the maritime sector as well”, emphasizes Jürgen Maidl, Senior Vice President Production Network and Supply Chain Management at the BMW Group.
“We are delighted to be the first car maker to join this coalition and thus lead the way towards more sustainability,” Maidl added. Maritime transport currently accounts for 50 per cent of the BMW Group’s transport chain CO2 emissions. Globally, around three per cent of the overall greenhouse gas emissions come from maritime transport – and the trend is strongly upwards. As part of the Getting to Zero Coalition, the BMW Group now wants to achieve a total elimination of carbon emissions by using carbon-free fuels and new propulsion systems as well as optimizing energy efficiency.
This is just another step in the right direction done by BMW. The German car maker announced a while back that all of its plants around the world will be using renewable energy from 2021 and a lot of them already are doing so. For example, all plants operated by the BMW Group and the three BBA joint venture plants in China will be supplied exclusively with energy from renewable sources from next year.
The BMW Group plants in Europe are already being supplied with 100 per cent green electricity since 2017. The Germans managed to reduce the consumption of resources and emissions per vehicle produced by more than 50 per cent since 2006.
