BMW Group hosts sustainability summit in Berlin

Speaking at today's BMW Group sustainability summit in Berlin, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Nobel laureate and Chairman of the UN IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change), was optimistic about the prospects for the upcoming Copenhagen climate change conference: "There is a real chance that Copenhagen can achieve a successful outcome for the world's climate, providing we get a binding commitment. Events like the BMW Group's sustainability summit demonstrate that industry too is now addressing the challenges of sustainability and climate change in a responsible way." Echoing Dr Pachauri's comments, Harald Krüger, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, added: "The BMW Group was quick to realise that combining mobility with sustainability is one of the key challenges of the future. Between 1995 and 2008, we reduced our EU fleet-average emissions by more than 25%. And we are aiming to make a further 25% reduction, if not more, by 2020. To do that, however, we will need technologies like zero-emission electric drive." The BMW Group is setting ambitious targets for emissions from its production processes too: "We have set targets for reducing our consumption of energy and water, and our emissions of solvents, carbon dioxide, waste and process wastewater - in each case calculated per vehicle produced - by 30 per cent between 2006 and the end of 2012," said Krüger.

Prominent speakers, intensive discussions

The programme in Berlin featured a keynote discussion on sustainability and mobility between Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Harald Krüger, US ambassador Philip D. Murphy, British politician Ian Lucas, President of the Federal Environmental Agency Jochen Flasbarth and Professor Dr Ferdinand Dudenhöffer of Car Center Automotive Research, entitled "This is only the beginning. New, sustainable aspirations for the automotive industry". The BMW Group welcomed some 200 invited guests from the fields of government, science, industry and the media to the summit, which is held at the axica conference and convention centre on Pariser Platz. An all-electric MINI E from the "MINI E Berlin powered by Vattenfall" project was on hand for test drives, giving the guests the opportunity to see for themselves that electric mobility really does combine zero emissions with driving excitement. Field trials with a fleet of 50 electric-drive MINI models powered by renewable electricity have been taking place in Berlin since June 2009.