BMW Group claims to be the first automotive manufacturer to use matt paints made from biomass instead of crude oil at its European plants. Plants in Leipzig and South Africa are also using sustainably produced corrosion protection. Renewable raw materials such as bio-waste or waste from sewage treatment plants serve as the starting material for the paints. The CO2 savings determined in a TUV-certified process amount to over 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions between now and 2030.
Supplier BASF makes it possible to replace petroleum-based precursors, such as naphtha, with renewable raw materials from organic waste, starting in the early stages of paint production. This reduces consumption of fossil resources and avoids the CO2 emissions associated with the production, transport and processing of crude oil.
The corrosion protection and matt paints used at Leipzig and Rosslyn are chemically identical to the paints previously used, with all the same properties as conventionally manufactured body coatings. Since bio-based and conventional coatings are produced on the same line, BASF adopts an externally certified mass balance approach.