Page Overview: Corporate Sustainability
Bright yellow flowers in BMW Plant Spartanburg butterfly garden.

Corporate Sustainability

At BMW Manufacturing, our commitment to environmental responsibility begins inside the plant. As one of the first in the industry to receive the ISO14001 certification we ensure green manufacturing throughout all processes.  It starts before manufacturing begins and does not end until the finished vehicle is shipped to the customer.  

Our environmental commitment takes on many forms, such as a solid waste recycling program that reduces the need for landfills, and a water conservation initiative that helps save 9.5 million gallons of water each year. We are constantly looking for new ways to make reductions in energy usage and water consumption, using new alternative energy sources, analyzing our plant processes, and evaluating our environmental impact on the plant property and beyond. BMW is not only concerned with environmental sustainability at the plant, but also in the community. Through corporate sustainability partnerships we proactively support environmental initiatives in the state of South Carolina.

Energy Center at the plant with turbines for Landfill Gas Project.
Gas to Energy Project.
Solar panels that provide solar energy to fully power the Zentrum Museum. face the interstate.
Solar Panels.
Operator handles hydrogen fuel cell material handling equipment to deliver parts to the line.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Fleet.
Vehicle going through Integrated Paint Process (IPP) in the paint shop at Plant Spartanburg.
Integrated Paint Process (IPP).
Duck boxes in the pond with natural habitat on the plant site.
BMW Biodiversity Study.
Plant Spartanburg aerial shot during fall season.
High Pressure Reverse Osmosis.

Sustainable Production.

From 2006 to 2022, per vehicle shipped, BMW’s South Carolina plant has decreased:

From 2006 to 2022, per vehicle shipped, BMW’s South Carolina plant has decreased: Water consumption by 57%, Energy consumption by 67%, Waste disposed of in a landfill by 84%, and Industrial Wastewater by 55%.

From 2015 – 2022, BMW:

From 2015-2022, BMW saved nearly 880 million gallons of water through overall recycling efforts-enough daily water for 10.9 million people. Saved over 737 million kilowatt hours of electricity through overall recycling efforts-enough energy to power over 22,979 homes for one year. Saved over 61 million gallons of oil- enough to heat/cool over 276,000 homes for one year. Recycled enough paper, cardboard and wood to save over 6.2 billion trees.