The BMW Group, the multinational producer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles, will begin sourcing aluminum produced from solar electricity with immediate effect, the group announced late Tuesday.
This marks an important milestone on the road to the company's goal of lowering CO2 emissions in its supplier network by 20% by 2030.
"Since producing aluminum is highly energy-intensive, the use of green power – such as solar electricity – offers considerable potential for reducing CO2 emissions," BMW said.
In the long term, the company said it would enable the Group to avoid approximately 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over the next ten years, equivalent to about 3% of the CO2 targets the company has set for its supplier network.
According to the statement, the aluminum produced using solar power will be processed in the light metal foundry at the BMW Group Plant in Landshut, in southeast Germany, where body and drive train components, including those needed for electric drive trains, are manufactured.
Sourcing 43,000 tonnes of solar aluminum, valued in the three-digit million euros, will supply nearly half the annual requirements of the light metal foundry at the Landshut plant.
(Anadolu Agency, February 3, 2021)
