BMW views circular economy as a competitive advantage
The head of sustainability in design at the BMW Group, Daniela Bohlinger, has said that the automotive group regards the introduction of more sustainable production processes as an investment in its future. In recent comments, she also said this commitment to sustainability would increasingly give the group a competitive advantage.
However, Ms Bohlinger also said that, at the moment, the demand among consumers for sustainability is “not as high as I would like it to be”.
She said a move towards a more circular economy was already “a key aspect” of BMW’s production strategy before the coronavirus crisis and she insisted that the group is now doing everything possible to live up to this responsibility. As an example, she pointed to “the exciting and demanding task” of generating growth with an emphasis on products that are made from materials that have already been through the consumption cycle.
“We are starting to recognise again what is really important in life,” she concluded. “We are realising, for example, that with retail therapy we are just compensating for something else. Having experienced lockdown, we are now asking ourselves why we do these things. The trend is going back towards more genuine value, quality, and sustainability. We welcome these developments.”
