Munich. The BMW Group is stepping up its activities in the field of sustainability, becoming the first automotive manufacturer worldwide to equip its cars with tyres using certified sustainable natural rubber and rayon, a wood-based material used to strengthen the tyres. The company will source 22-inch tyres in the first instance exclusively from Pirelli and, from August of this year, will use them in the BMW X5 xDrive45e Plug-in-Hybrid (fuel consumption combined: 1.7-1.2 l/100km (WLTP), 2.1-1.6 l/100 km (NEDC); power consumption combined: 27.7-24.3 kWh/100 km (WLTP), 25.2-23.5 kWh/100 km (NEDC); CO2 emissions combined: 39-27 g/km (WLTP), 47-37 g/km (NEDC)). Certification of the rubber plantations and the complex supply chain for natural rubber and rayon takes place in accordance with the strict standards of the independent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

“As a premium manufacturer, we aspire to lead the way in sustainability and take responsibility,” said Dr Andreas Wendt, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Purchasing and Supplier Network. “We have been committed to improving cultivation of natural rubber and increasing transparency in the supplier network since 2015. The use of tyres made of certified natural rubber is a pioneering achievement for our industry. In this way, we are helping preserve biodiversity and forests to counteract climate change.”

Natural rubber is the basic material for many products we use in our daily lives, such as boots and mattresses. About six million small farmers worldwide are responsible for over 80% of the world’s natural rubber cultivation. In the so-called rubber belt across the tropical regions, they run farms of between one and two hectares in size under a wide variety of different conditions. Agreeing uniform social and environmental growing conditions with these millions of small individual farms is therefore a major challenge.

By far the largest share of natural rubber grown worldwide goes into tyre production. Natural rubber’s high elasticity and sturdiness currently make it irreplaceable for tyre production.

Small label, big impact

As an independent organisation, FSC has developed an internationally recognised and demanding certification standard in recent years that is used worldwide for environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the forests. The organisation, whose well-known logo is already established in the wood and paper industry, also applies this standard to products made of natural rubber.

The new 22-inch P ZERO ∗ tyre has now become the world's first tyre to receive the coveted FSC label. To earn this certification, Pirelli adapted its US plant in Rome, Georgia, to produce tyres using FSC-certified natural rubber and rayon. From there, the tyres are delivered to BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, around 370 km away, and mounted on the BMW X5 Plug-in Hybrid. The star ∗ in the name indicates that the new tyre meets the BMW Group’s strict performance requirements, including particularly low rolling resistance and noise level.

Giovanni Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli’s Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Future Mobility, said: “Before even reaching the road, sustainable mobility begins with raw materials. With the world’s first FSC-certified tyre, Pirelli once again demonstrates its commitment to pursuing increasingly challenging goals in terms of sustainability, a testament to the constant work on innovative materials and increasingly cutting-edge production processes. We continue to invest in sustainable growth for our planet, aware that this is also essential for the future of our businesses.”

Jeremy Harrison, Chief Markets Officer, FSC International, added: “The new FSC-certified Pirelli Tyre is a significant milestone in the drive to deliver economic, social, and environmental benefits across the natural rubber value chain. This is a major step forward in the journey towards a more sustainable natural rubber value chain, thereby helping to mitigate deforestation and support the fight against climate change.”

Long-standing commitment to greater transparency and sustainability in the natural rubber supplier network

The use of the first tyres containing certified sustainable natural rubber and rayon at the BMW Group is the result of the company’s extensive commitment in this area. In 2019, the BMW Group joined forces with well-known tyre manufacturers, NGOs, rubber producers and consumers to create the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR). Small farmers are also represented in this initiative. The GPSNR is committed to improving social and environmental conditions for cultivation of natural rubber and pushing for more sustainability. It also implements measures to stop deforestation and make supply chains more transparent. The GPSNR currently has almost 100 members, who are responsible for about 50 percent of the global natural rubber market.

Through its activities in the GPSNR and close cooperation with its suppliers, the BMW Group is constantly working to further improve sustainability in the natural rubber supply chain. The BMW Group is stepping up these activities and plans to steadily expand its sourcing of tyres made from sustainably grown natural rubber.

The BMW Group has been working with the FSC organisation for many years (Licence code FSC-N002012). The company decided to use FSC-certified wood in the BMW i3, which was first launched onto the market in 2013. The BMW iX for release later this year will also feature FSC-certified wood. In 2017, the BMW Group and FSC advocated for further development of FSC standards for cultivation of natural rubber in Thailand.

Sustainability an integral part of all purchasing activities

Independently of these measures, the BMW Group has contractually obligated all its direct suppliers to respect human rights, comply with expanded environmental and social standards and to introduce management systems to promote occupational safety and protect the environment since 2014. This also includes protecting forests and biodiversity. These requirements must also be contractually passed on to subcontractors. BMW Group Purchasing does not rely on contractual obligations alone for this but is also implementing a large number of additional measures in a transparent process. A risk filter is used to evaluate potential supplier locations worldwide even before the call for bids. The next step is to require possible suppliers to outline their sustainability activities in a detailed questionnaire. External partners also work with internal appraisers to review selected locations. Throughout the contract period, external partners work with internal appraisers to verify compliance with sustainability requirements through questionnaires and audits. In this way, BMW Group Purchasing is able to monitor thousands of locations every year.

Sustainable mobility with the BMW X5 xDrive45e

The BMW Group has completed full lifecycle CO₂ certification for the BMW X5 xDrive45e – from raw material procurement, through the supply chain, production and use phase, all the way to recycling. If charged during the use phase with the average European electricity mix, this gives it an advantage of around 40 percent over the BMW X5 xDrive40i. If charged with green power, the advantage is around 70 percent. The electric range amounts to 77-88 kilometres (WLTP).

It is with a common vision that UNICEF Ireland and Frank Keane BMW have today announced a partnership that will drive a better and brighter future for our children.

As part of a new affiliation with UNICEF Ireland, Frank Keane BMW presented five BMW i3’s to support the organisation in raising much-needed funds and awareness in Ireland for the provision of humanitarian aid to children in developing countries. For UNICEF Ireland, the partnership represents an innovative way to keep fleet costs to a minimum, achieving emission-free mobility.

This announcement coincides with Frank Keane BMW becoming an official BMW i Agent and marks a new chapter in the company’s 50th year of association with BMW.

So, in addition to presenting five vehicles, BMW Frank Keane have committed to supporting UNICEF Ireland by donating €15 to UNICEF for every new car purchased and up to €5 for every service. Each customer of the Blackrock and Naas Road branches will also be given the opportunity to match the donation.

Frank Keane BMW has agreed to supply the fleet at below market rates in recognition of UNICEF’s important work. One of the key reasons BMW i was chosen by UNICEF Ireland as the most suitable vehicle partner is due to BMW Group’s approach environmental and social sustainability throughout entire life cycle of its cars from start to finish as it is takes more than just zero-emission motoring to drive sustainable change in the world.

This approach includes everything from the extraction of raw materials and manufacture, through usage to recycling, in order to take account of all environmental aspects. For example, up to 95 per cent of the BMW i3 is recyclable and the manufacturing process of the BMW i3 is from green power such as wind turbines and one of the world’s largest hydroelectric plants. In fact, the BMW Group have consistently been the automotive sector leader or the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI). The BMW Group is also the only one of the three automobile manufacturers listed to feature in the renowned index every year since 1999.

“UNICEF Ireland is constantly seeking new and innovative ways of helping children, this partnership is an excellent example. UNICEF is 70 years in operation, while Frank Keane BMW is celebrating its 50th Anniversary – together we will use the skills and knowledge we have acquired in our respective fields to achieve breakthrough change for children”, said Peter Power, Executive Director, UNICEF Ireland.

Frank Keane BMW, who recently celebrated its 50th year of association with BMW is now embarking on expansion as a BMW i Agent. Dedicated sales and servicing facilities for BMW i models, including the i3, i8 and iPerformance models have been established at the Naas Road and Blackrock locations.

“We are excited to be embarking on a new chapter with the BMW i brand and the partnership with UNICEF who are leading by example. This fleet of i3’s will provide emission free driving with a pure electric range of 130kms in real-world driving conditions and will certainly be eye catching on our roads” said Mark Bradley, Head of Business at Frank Keane BMW.

For more information about Frank Keane visit http://www.frankkeanebmw.ie or information about the i3 visit: https://www.bmw.ie/en/all-models/bmw-i/i3/2016/range-charging.html.

-Ends-

Image Captions:

1. Paulo Alves, Managing Director, BMW Group Ireland, Paul Connolly, Chairman, UNICEF Ireland and Mr. Frank Keane.
2. The Team at UNICEF Ireland who will use the vehicles to travel around Ireland to raise funds and awareness about the work of UNICEF Ireland.
3. Mark Bradley, Head of Business Frank Keane Naas Road, Paulo Alves M.D. BMW Group Ireland and Mark Colbert, Head of Business Frank Keane Blackrock.
4. Jaideep Singh UNICEF and Lara Scarff of Frank Keane BMW

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2016, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.367 million cars and 145,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax was approximately € 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31 December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

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UNICEF Ireland

UNICEF is the United Nations’ organisation for children. It was established in the aftermath of World War II to help refugee children. Today UNICEF fights for children’s rights and promotes the well-being of every child, in everything we do. We work in 190 countries taking practical action to help all children, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable children. UNICEF has been in operation for 70 years. UNICEF began operating in Ireland in 1962.

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For further information please contact:

Laura Condron | Corporate Communications & Events Manager BMW Ireland | 086 047 2953 | Laura.Condron@BMW.ie

Aedín Donnelly | Communications and Media Manager for UNICEF Ireland | 01 809 0281 | 085 1395272 | aedin@unicef.ie