Program News
BMW works toward environmental sustainability
How important is environmental sustainability to one of the world's best-known car companies?
It's a top priority, according to a senior environmental engineer with BMW Manufacturing Co. who
spoke to about 80 students and faculty Oct. 17 at the Moore School of Business.
The
German-based car manufacturer is "always looking for ways to reduce its environmental impact on the
community,"
Halle M. Price told the audience members, who were
primarily from an undergraduate marketing class and an MBA class in international business and
sustainable development.
Price, who earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Mercer College and a Master's degree in Earth and Environmental Resource Management (MERM) from the University of South Carolina's School of the Environment in 2002, said BMW's sole North American manufacturing plant, which is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has numerous ongoing "green" projects, including:
The Spartanburg facility, located on a 1,150-acre site and home to 4,500 employees, produces the X5 sports activity vehicle, the Z4 and M Roadster, and the Z4 Coupe and M Coupe for customers worldwide to the tune of about 450 vehicles per day.
"Plant Spartanburg" has achieved both environmental management system certifications known as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. The Upstate plant is also member of the National Environmental Performance Track, a designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that recognizes outstanding environmental performance. Members commit each year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, toxic air emissions, and employees' fuel usage.
The Spartanburg facility is also a member of the S.C. Environmental Excellence Program coordinated by South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control. In addition, the American plant is in the top 10 percent of the auto group as rated by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, begun in 1995 to annually assess companies' sustainable assets.
BMW's environmental service department was involved in the earliest stages of designing and constructing the North American plant, Price said. It opened in 1994.
The
German-based car manufacturer is "always looking for ways to reduce its environmental impact on the
community,"
Halle M. Price told the audience members, who were
primarily from an undergraduate marketing class and an MBA class in international business and
sustainable development.
Price, who earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Mercer College and a Master's degree in Earth and Environmental Resource Management (MERM) from the University of South Carolina's School of the Environment in 2002, said BMW's sole North American manufacturing plant, which is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has numerous ongoing "green" projects, including:
- The Palmetto Landfill Gas Project, which uses methane gas produced by natural decomposition of organic materials in a nearby landfill to supply more than 63 percent of the plant's electrical and hot water needs. This reduces the plant's carbon dioxide emissions by about 70,000 tons a year, the equivalent of removing 132,000 cars from the nation's highways.
- The first "green" auto paint shop in the world. Among various energy-saving technologies, the paint shop has introduced a program that reduces by 30 percent the amount of water used, saving the company $75,000 a year and helping to conserve a precious natural resource in the bargain.
- Continual solvent re-use.
- Recycling bins placed in all conference rooms.
- A program to recycle all uniforms worn in the plant.
- Introduction of biodegradable cups and environmentally friendly to-go containers in the plant's cafeteria.
- An annual Earth Day event at the plant.
The Spartanburg facility, located on a 1,150-acre site and home to 4,500 employees, produces the X5 sports activity vehicle, the Z4 and M Roadster, and the Z4 Coupe and M Coupe for customers worldwide to the tune of about 450 vehicles per day.
"Plant Spartanburg" has achieved both environmental management system certifications known as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. The Upstate plant is also member of the National Environmental Performance Track, a designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that recognizes outstanding environmental performance. Members commit each year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, toxic air emissions, and employees' fuel usage.
The Spartanburg facility is also a member of the S.C. Environmental Excellence Program coordinated by South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control. In addition, the American plant is in the top 10 percent of the auto group as rated by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, begun in 1995 to annually assess companies' sustainable assets.
BMW's environmental service department was involved in the earliest stages of designing and constructing the North American plant, Price said. It opened in 1994.
October 17, 2006