The BMW Group has set a new 2035 milestone to cut CO2e emissions on the road to net zero. The company aims to reduce its CO2e emissions by at least 60 million metric tons compared to 2019 levels, an additional reduction of approximately 20 million tons of CO2e beyond the existing 2030 target.
In doing so, the BMW Group is pursuing a comprehensive decarbonization strategy across the entire life cycle, aiming to achieve net zero by 2050 at the latest. This represents a firm commitment to the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.
To date, the target has been to cut at least 40 million metric tons of CO2e across the entire life cycle (scopes 1, 2 and 3) by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. The new 2035 milestone is a logical next step on this road toward advancing decarbonization.
At the same time, the climate impact of the BMW Group’s business model will also be drastically reduced. By 2035, each euro generated will result in less than half as much CO2e being emitted as in 2019.
The key measures for achieving these results include increasing the use of renewable energies in production and the supply chain, increasing the utilisation of secondary raw materials, improving efficiency in the use phase, and product and process innovations.
The latter are being implemented across all drive variants as part of the BMW Group’s technology-neutral approach. In addition, an increasing proportion of the vehicle fleet will remain electrified.
Decarbonization Along the Entire Life Cycle
The BMW Group has intentionally set itself the additional 2035 milestone to advance its decarbonization strategy consistently. Global customer demand for electric vehicles alone will not be sufficient to achieve the CO2e targets set for 2030 and 2035. The comprehensive approach to reducing CO2e emissions, therefore, spans the entire vehicle life cycle, regardless of the drive variant.
In the supply chain, which is increasingly relevant for CO2e emissions, especially for electric models, the company focuses on expanding the use of secondary raw materials and renewable energy sources. The specific priorities are highly CO2e-emitting components such as high-voltage batteries, aluminium, and steel. In addition, the company will implement product and process innovations, such as the BMW Group’s sixth-generation (Gen6) battery technology.
The BMW Group also applies high standards in production: for example, since 2020, all electricity supplied to plants worldwide by external suppliers has come exclusively from renewable sources. The BMW Group also works continuously on replacing fossil fuels. The new iX3 plant in Debrecen, Hungary, is the BMW Group’s first car factory to produce vehicles without any fossil fuels, such as oil and gas, in standard operation.
To lower CO2e emissions during the use phase, the BMW Group is implementing additional efficiency measures, such as BMW EfficientDynamics, alongside electrifying its vehicle fleet. As a result, efficiency potential in all vehicle subsystems, such as the drive system, tyres, and aerodynamics, is consistently identified and implemented, regardless of the drive technology. The new BMW iX3, for instance, uses up to 20% less energy (WLTP combined) than its predecessor.
Reaching the new milestone will also depend on a variety of external factors, including the transformation of the steel industry toward lower CO2e steel, the expansion of charging infrastructure, progress in the circular economy, and the advancement of battery cell technologies.
This is why the BMW Group continues to pursue several strategic initiatives, including the ongoing expansion of in-house expertise in state-of-the-art battery cell centres of excellence and in innovative circular economy projects.
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