The BMW Group has become the first automotive manufacturer worldwide to use matt paints made from biomass instead of crude oil at its European plants. Renewable raw materials such as bio-waste or waste from sewage treatment plants serve as the starting material for the paints.
The CO2 savings amount to over 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions between now and 2030.
The production process developed by chemicals giant BASF makes it possible to replace petroleum-based precursors, such as naphtha.
In addition to this, BMW Group Plants Leipzig and Rosslyn (South Africa) are also using sustainably-produced corrosion protection.
The two BMW Group plants in Leipzig and Rosslyn produce an average of around 250,000 vehicles per year.
Joachim Post, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Purchasing and Supplier Network, says: “By reducing our use of fossil raw materials, we can conserve natural resources and lower CO2 emissions at the same time. To achieve this, we are increasingly relying on sustainability innovations in our supplier network. Innovative paints based on renewable raw materials are an important step in this direction.”
The corrosion protection and matt paints used at BMW Group Plants Leipzig and Rosslyn are chemically identical to the paints previously used, with all the same properties as conventionally manufactured body coatings.
