The Organic Waste Application, BMW’s Innovation Towards A Sustainable Future

Applying innovative technologies to improve sustainability, the BMW Group takes advantage of new options to conserve resources and reduce emissions from painting bodywork.

This designates them as the first automotive manufacturer worldwide to use matte paints made from biomass instead of crude oil at its European plants. 

Additionally, the plants in Leipzig and Rosslyn (South Africa) are also using sustainably-produced corrosion protection.

Renewable raw materials such as bio-waste or waste from sewage treatment plants serve as the starting material for the paints. 

The CO2 savings determined in a TÜV-certified process amount to over 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions between now and 2030.

BMW AG’s management board member for purchasing and supplier network, Joachim Post, said, “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 Organic Waste

Innovatively, this advanced production process by BASF enables the replacement of petroleum-based precursors. 

For example, swapping out naphtha with renewable raw materials from organic waste, which starts in the early stages of paint production.

Plus, it does more than just cuts consumption of fossil resources, it also avoids the CO2 emissions associated with the production, transport and processing of crude oil.

Notably, the corrosion protection and matte paints used at BMW Group Plants Leipzig and Rosslyn are chemically identical to the paints previously used.

In other words, the new method contains all the same properties as conventionally manufactured body coatings. 

Since bio-based and conventional coatings are produced on the same line, BASF adopts an externally certified mass balance approach.

The amount of paint purchased by the BMW Group is calculated to be exactly equal to the amount of bio-naphtha and bio-methane, required for 100 percent petroleum-free production. 

Cumulatively, the sustainable manufacturing process reduces the CO2 emissions from paint production by more than 40 percent. 

That said, the two BMW Group plants in Leipzig and Rosslyn produce an average of around 250,000 vehicles per year.