Paris/Munich 7 December 2015. The BMW Group plays an active role at the 2015 United Nations Climate Conference (COP 21) in Paris from 30 November to 11 December, participating in discussions on many levels. The company has been sharing its expertise at climate conferences worldwide since 1992.
BMW Group Student Forum
At the first international BMW Group Student Forum on 30 November 2015, students from twelve countries discussed challenges and solutions for urban mobility with BMW experts. University students from Brazil, China, Chile, Germany, France, UK, India, Canada, Russia, Serbia, South Korea and US attended. Discussions focused on electro-mobility, car-sharing, highly-automated driving and IT-based services.
The stakeholder event in Paris was the BMW Group’s fifth dialogue event this year, following dialogues with sustainability experts and university students organised by the BMW Group at national level in Berlin, London, Shanghai and Seattle. Students from London, Shanghai and Seattle joined their counterparts from Paris at the event in the French capital.
Dr. Thomas Becker, head of Governmental Affairs at the BMW Group: “All the threads of our stakeholder involvement come together in Paris at the end of 2015. We have been discussing urban mobility with university students throughout the year. We have already received very interesting feedback from all the discussions. Here in Paris, we are now bringing students from the different cities together to generate additional impetus.”
Ursula Mathar, head of Sustainability and Environmental Protection at the BMW Group: “We believe it is important to integrate the findings of our stakeholder dialogues into our strategy process in Munich. Every strategy must be realigned with stakeholder expectations on a regular basis. We are interested in criticism and input from the younger generation, as well as the opinions of experienced sustainability experts.”
The BMW Group plans to continue its BMW Group Student Forum format over the coming years.
American Business Act on Climate Pledge
To coincide with the United Nations Climate Conference in Paris, the BMW Group also announced that it has joined the American Business Act on Climate Pledge. A total of 154 companies in the US have joined the initiative. Their shared goal is to combat climate change through concrete measures and packages. In this connection, the BMW Group has set itself ambitious targets at global level and specifically for its locations in the United States.
RE100 Initiative
The BMW Group is also participating in the Climate Group’s RE100 initiative, effective immediately. The aim of the initiative is to achieve a gradual shift towards renewable energies – which has been a goal of the BMW Group for many years. Dr. Markus Schramm, head strategist at the BMW Group: “The BMW Group is steadily reducing its energy consumption and increasingly using energy it generates itself or obtains from local renewable sources. The company actively supports the expansion of sustainable energies. In this way, we are able to be more independent and more efficient.”
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015 and other events
The BMW Group is attending several UN Climate Conference events in Paris. The main focus for the BMW Group is on substantive involvement in on-site discussions. High-level company representatives will participate in various conferences and meetings. Peter Schwarzenbauer, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, will be one of the speakers at the Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015, discussing the challenges and potential solutions for urban mobility.
