BMW is taking steps towards sustainable interior with a series of new materials that consumers can expect to find in its products within the coming years. These new pieces will be introduced in a new i Vision Circular concept car.
This car demonstrates that climate protection and individual mobility do not necessarily contradict each other. On the contrary, it plans to show that using new technologies and innovation, the BMW Group can fulfill the planet’s requirements for greater sustainability without customers having to forgo individual mobility.
BMW says that the decision behind this shift is to fight against climate change with a unique sustainability strategy and clearly defined CO2 targets, as announced by Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG at a media event in Munich.
The main focus of the company’s pioneering strategy is, on the one hand, to drastically reduce CO2 per vehicle by 2030. On the other, with the introduction of the “Neue Klasse”, the BMW Group will be massively promoting the use of secondary material and the forward-looking principles of the circular economy.
It looks like animal sourced leather will soon become a thing of the past for BMW as it has started experimenting with a number of synthetic alternatives. These include biobased raw materials, 100 per cent recycled polyester textiles and cork particles which allow the brand to reduce emissions by 45 per cent compared to the current PVC material. The brand is also experimenting with a cactus-based material as well as recyclable Mirum, which mimics all the properties of traditional leather, yarns and foams.
A new approach regarding plastics will also be adopted for cabin trimmings. BMW explains that, in addition to recycled plastics, it also aims to employ biobased plastics and plastics reinforced with natural fibres such as cellulose, hemp, wood or bamboo to reduce the percentage of oil-based primary plastics.
