The ELV Directive, which is being implemented in the UK over the next few months, calls for manufacturers to be responsible for recycling 85% of all ELVs by weight by January 2006 (minimum 80% recycling) and 95% by January 2015 (minimum 85% recycling).
The BMW Group has published its 2003-04 sustainability report, revealing that the company's vehicles meet the recycling standards demanded by the Directive.
 About 10% of the plastic components of a Mini are now made from recycled material |
Commenting on the report, BMW board member for development Dr Burkhard Goschel said: “Innovations create success and safeguard the future viability of companies. They are also essential for sustainable development. That is why we have concepts to manage innovations. They focus not only on the development of our products, but also on production, sales, service and the recycling of end-of-life vehicles. We think consistently in product life cycles with overall responsibility.”
BMW's Recycling and Dismantling Centre, at Unterschleissheim near Munich, recycles about 2,000 vehicles a year and has allowed BMW to develop its vehicles so that they are almost completely recyclable.
It said: “According to the EU Directive, at least 85% of the end-of-life vehicle weight must be re-used or recycled from 2006. Only 5% of the residual weight may be brought to landfill from 2015. All BMW Group vehicles fulfil the Directive's recycling quotas. Metals have long been recycled. Today, glass and many large pure-grade plastic components are recovered.”
Plastics
The report said that the company was seeking to increase the amount of plastics it is using in its vehicles, in order to improve fuel efficiency. BMW said it is seeking to use recycled plastics in its vehicles, and that the “average share of recycled plastics in current BMW models can be up to 15%”. At the moment, 10% of the plastic components in Minis and 14% of plastics in BMW 3-series are recycled material.
Plastics from ELVs can be difficult to recycle, and BMW has attempted to tackle this by reducing the variety of plastics used, using pure-grade plastics and developing information on the separating materials for recyclers, which is included in the International Dismantling Information System.
Hazardous
BMW has phased out hazardous heavy metals from its components, including lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chrome, banned by the ELV Directive.
The company's Munich-based Recycling and Dismantling Centre has developed recycling facilities for pyrotechnic components including airbags and belt tensioners, as well as a device that removes oil from shock absorbers quickly and easily.
The report said: “This saves half an hour of work per vehicle: up to 1.6 litres of residual oil can be removed from a car in less than five minutes.”
BMW manufactures just over 1 million vehicles each year worldwide. The company has already set up a network of authorised recyclers in Germany to fulfil its producer responsibility obligations under the ELV Directive in that country. In the UK, vehicle manufacturers and recyclers are still waiting for the government to decide how the legislation will be implemented.
The next phase of BMW's action on sustainability and recycling will include looking into sustainable treatment techniques for shredder residues, recycling techniques for new technology vehicles such as hydrogen-powered cars and the incorporation of environmental requirements into its supply chain.
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