#029 The BMW slogan, and where it comes from | BMW Podcast

We are almost at the end of our journey, but only almost. On the search for the greenest car, constant innovation is an important part of the BMW philosophy. The development of new ideas, new processes, new materials, and new solutions. We have plans and ideas for a sustainable future, of course, but which ideas haven’t we thought of yet? And which ideas are on the way? As you can see, there are still plenty of open questions, and Anne Therese is looking for answers. To find them, she calls Los Angeles from Munich, visits BMW Welt, and immerses herself in the history of sustainability at BMW at the BMW Museum. Join her and tune in! 02:00 What does ‚innovation‘ mean? 04:50 Aesthetics of the future 10:30 The chances and challenges of innovation projects 16:00 Sustainability and the concept of health 19:00 The digital twin 22:50 Recycling of batteries and battery cells 27:00 RE:THINK, RE:DUCE, RE:USE, RE:CYCLE “The ‘greenest‘ electric car will be made by BMW.” – this is the company’s mission for the future. Is this future already within our grasp? What are the challenges that arise in trying to achieve this goal? We will find out in this eight-part audio documentary. Together with our reporter, Anne Therese Gennari (The Climate Optimist), we will go on a journey through the BMW universe and take an authentic look behind the scenes. Read more about our search for the greenest car here. You can find more information about our host Anne Therese Gennari here. BMW Protagonists: Markus Seidel, Wesselka Mandowa-Maier, Annette Connor Editorial: Julia Niedermeier Author: Robert Valentine Sound and Music: Kontrapunkt Agency Art: Lucas Lemuth, Madita O'Sullivan, Caroline Wabra

Welcome back! In previous episodes, you have joined Anne Therese in a wide variety of places, met all kinds of BMW employees, and learned about their roles and projects. These all deal with sustainability at BMW. But this issue is so much bigger than the BMW universe in Munich. In a world where we increasingly face new social challenges, it is more important than ever that global companies recognize and embrace their social responsibility. It is simply not possible to act and produce completely sustainably in the future without an awareness of this responsibility and the action that needs to result. Social sustainability goes hand in hand with sustainable production. Anne Therese digs deeper. 02:40 Social sustainability 04:45 How is BMW socially responsible? 08:00 A united humanity: BMW ethics and social responsibility 10:40 Raw materials: Mica (More info here and here) 25:00 Organic materials in production 27:55 The first FSC-certified tyre (More info here) 37:00 PowerUp: Energy for education (More info here) “The ‘greenest‘ electric car will be made by BMW.” – this is the company’s mission for the future. Is this future already within our grasp? What are the challenges that arise in trying to achieve this goal? We will find out in this eight-part audio documentary. Together with our reporter, Anne Therese Gennari (The Climate Optimist), we will go on a journey through the BMW universe and take an authentic look behind the scenes. Read more about our search for the greenest car here. You can find more information about our host Anne Therese Gennari here. BMW Protagonists: Milena Pighi, Nils Heimes, Vanessa Buchberger, Sabrina Kolbeck, Jacob Hamar Editorial: Julia Niedermeier Author: Robert Valentine Sound and Music: Kontrapunkt Agency Art: Lucas Lemuth, Madita O'Sullivan, Caroline Wabra

Where does a circle begin? When you’re producing an audio documentary about sustainability and BMW, there’s no avoiding the topics of RE:THINK, RE:DUCE, RE:USE, and RE:CYCLE. These are the four principles of the circular economy and, as such, also form the core elements of this audio documentary. The circular economy’s aim is that existing materials and products are maintained, recycled, repaired and shared for as long as possible. Anne Therese wants to dive deeper into how this works and how close – or how far away – BMW already is to the goal of a circular economy. What might a “circular” vehicle look like? Let’s find out. 02:16 RE:THINK, RE:DUCE, RE:USE, RE:CYCLE 10:10 The importance of closed loops 19:21 What means remanufacturing? 21:16 What does a fully circular supply chain look like? “The ‘greenest‘ electric car will be made by BMW.” – this is the company’s mission for the future. Is this future already within our grasp? What are the challenges that arise in trying to achieve this goal? We will find out in this eight-part audio documentary. Together with our reporter, Anne Therese Gennari (The Climate Optimist), we will go on a journey through the BMW universe and take an authentic look behind the scenes. Read more about our search for the greenest car here. You can find more information about our host Anne Therese Gennari here. BMW Protagonists: Anna Goldhofer, Christopher Degenhart Editorial: Julia Niedermeier Author: Robert Valentine Sound and Music: Kontrapunkt Agency Art: Lucas Lemuth, Madita O'Sullivan, Caroline Wabra

The search continues! Of course, vehicles are also about aesthetics, design – and love at first sight. But how much room for creativity is there when the goal is minimalism? We have to look into the future of vehicle design with fresh eyes. Anne Therese meets some of the creative minds who create a new aesthetic and design from the first lines on the page. She wants to learn from them how sustainability can be built into the design of a vehicle and the materials that are the most difficult to replace when creating the car of the future. What aesthetics lie behind radical reduction? And what responsibility do designers bear when it comes to a sustainable future? We will find out in this episode. 02:23 Rethinking mobility 07:30 What is the luxury of the future? 18:13 Circular design principles 27:11 Mirum as a possible leather alternative? 28:02 Design for circularity 31:28 Sustainable car design “The ‘greenest‘ electric car will be made by BMW.” – this is the company’s mission for the future. Is this future already within our grasp? What are the challenges that arise in trying to achieve this goal? We will find out in this eight-part audio documentary. Together with our reporter, Anne Therese Gennari (The Climate Optimist), we will go on a journey through the BMW universe and take an authentic look behind the scenes. Read more about our search for the greenest car here. You can find more information about our host Anne Therese Gennari here. BMW Protagonists: Daniela Bohlinger, Matthias Junghanns, Jessica Dettinger Editorial: Julia Niedermeier Author: Robert Valentine Sound and Music: Kontrapunkt Agency Art: Lucas Lemuth, Madita O'Sullivan, Caroline Wabra

We’re on the road again! Anne Therese still has some unanswered questions, so we need to keep looking - after all, we are on a mission. Along with RE:USE, RE:DUCE and RE:THINK, RE:CYCLE is one of the key principles of the move towards a circular economy, so we can't skip this topic in our search for the most sustainable car. Which parts of a vehicle can already be recycled, which can’t and what role does logistics play? The theory says that car production can only be truly sustainable if all the car parts are also transported between plants in a climate-neutral way. So, what’s the starting point here? Anne Therese sets out to find answers. 01:55 A visit to the BMW Group Recycling and Dismantling Centre 02:54 The mission: a closed loop 06:35 What can or can’t be recycled? 09:28 Can electric car batteries be recycled? 13:04 Sustainability in transport and logistics “The ‘greenest‘ electric car will be made by BMW.” – this is the company’s mission for the future. Is this future already within our grasp? What are the challenges that arise in trying to achieve this goal? We will find out in this eight-part audio documentary. Together with our reporter, Anne Therese Gennari (The Climate Optimist), we will go on a journey through the BMW universe and take an authentic look behind the scenes. Read more about our search for the greenest car here. You can find more information about our host Anne Therese Gennari here. BMW Protagonists: Alexander Schuell, Vera Leinfelder, Giacomo Roman Editorial: Julia Niedermeier Author: Robert Valentine Sound and Music: Kontrapunkt Agency Art: Lucas Lemuth, Madita O'Sullivan, Caroline Wabra

We’re back! If you thought that Anne Therese already had answers to all your questions, we have to disappoint you. The search for the greenest car has only just begun. BMW has set itself ambitious goals, which can only be achieved if the supply chain, the production and all the other processes are completely sustainable. In episode 2, we will find out how green production can work and why development in this direction is not always as easy as you might think. That’s why Anne Therese is visiting the place where the car magic happens: the BMW plant in Munich. There, she meets environment and energy specialists, who deal with the issue of making production as sustainable as possible every day. Have you always wanted to know what it sounds like behind the gates of the BMW plant? Then you shouldn’t miss this episode! 05:00 Challenges in green production 11:20 Standardization as a possible solution? 16:50 Innovations in production 19:50 Being part of the Startup Garage 21:25 The Green Plant Leipzig: A holistic approach to sustainability 27:30 How to reduce carbon footprint in manufacturing industry? “The ‘greenest‘ electric car will be made by BMW.” – this is the company’s mission for the future. Is this future already within our grasp? What are the challenges that arise in trying to achieve this goal? We will find out in this eight-part audio documentary. Together with our reporter, Anne Therese Gennari (The Climate Optimist), we will go on a journey through the BMW universe and take an authentic look behind the scenes. Read more about our search for the greenest car here. You can find more information about our host Anne Therese Gennari here. BMW Protagonists: Jury Witschnig, Magdalena Lippenberger, Stefan Fenchel Editorial: Julia Niedermeier Author: Robert Valentine Sound and Music: Kontrapunkt Agency Art: Lucas Lemuth, Madita O'Sullivan, Caroline Wabra

Sustainability in the automotive sector goes way beyond the production of a vehicle. In order to ensure sustainable production, the entire supply chain of materials has to be transparent and sustainable. But where and how do you start? In the first episode of our audio documentary, our reporter, Anne Therese Gennari, asks precisely these questions. She looks for the answers at the Research and Innovation Center (FIZ), at the Digital Campus, and directly inside the BMW i4. There, she speaks to the people who know how important and, at the same time, difficult, it really is to maintain a sustainable supply chain. It’s also a matter of considering the environment, ethics, and social responsibility. Ready to hit the road with Anne Therese? 07:00 The importance and difficulties of adhering to a green supply chain 09:30 It is all about standardization 15:30 Cobalt for Development 18:00 Is sustainable cobalt mining even possible? 19:30 Responsible Lithium Initiative 22:00 Catena X and supply chain transparency 28:30 The power of collaboration 35:00 Sustainable steel production: achievements and challenges “The ‘greenest‘ electric car will be made by BMW.” – this is the company’s mission for the future. Is this future already within our grasp? What are the challenges that arise in trying to achieve this goal? We will find out in this eight-part audio documentary. Together with our reporter, Anne Therese Gennari (The Climate Optimist), we will go on a journey through the BMW universe and take an authentic look behind the scenes. Read more about our search for the greenest car here. You can find more information about our host Anne Therese Gennari here. BMW Protagonists: Ferdinand Geckeler, Claudia Becker, Niels Angel, Philipp Leschinski, Philipp Oberhumer Editorial: Julia Niedermeier Author: Robert Valentine Sound and Music: Kontrapunkt Agency Art: Lucas Lemuth, Madita O'Sullivan, Caroline Wabra

“The greenest electric car will be a BMW” – this is what BMW is aiming for. Becoming the most sustainable car manufacturer is an ambitious goal. It’s going to take rethinking every step of the supply chain and the life cycle of every vehicle. Where do you have to start? What does sustainability look like before, during, and after a product’s useful life? And what do social responsibility and new leadership mean in this context? We’ve invited author, activist, educator and climate optimist, Anne Therese Gennari, to go on a journey with us to search for the answers to these questions. In the next eight episodes, she meets the people, who are designing and shaping a sustainable future for BMW. Do you want to join us on the journey? Tune in! You can find more information about our host Anne Therese Gennari here.

It’s a wrap! In this very last episode of THIS IS FORWARDISM, Yomi looks back over all the episodes. What inspired her the most? What did she learn? And how has her definition of forwardism changed? Our THIS IS FORWARDISM journey with our wonderful host Yomi Adegoke might be coming to an end today, but a new audio series is already waiting in the wings. Get ready for a new format with new stories, new topics and new faces. Coming this fall. You can find more information about our host Yomi Adegoke here. Tune in to find out what Forwardism sounds like. Want to know what Forwardism looks like? Click here and experience a new dimension of luxury with the BMW i7.

A new week means a new trip into the future for us. After seven episodes of THIS IS FORWARDISM and seven guests who have shared their definition of Forwardism with us, today Yomi finally talks to the very person who was instrumental in coining the term “Forwardism” for BMW. Stefan Ponikva is Vice President Brand Communication and Experience at the BMW Group. In this episode, he takes Yomi and us on a journey through the BMW cosmos and tells us what the term “Forwardism” means to BMW and to him personally. He is known for his visionary ideas and we certainly see him as a pioneer of digital marketing – but would he actually call himself that? Let’s find out together. 02:00 THIS IS Stefan Ponikva 05:00 The definition of Forwardism 06:30 The meaning of brand experience 07:45 Creating a love brand 09:45 The power / the importance of digital storytelling 12:30 Culture Marketing 13:50 The pioneering role of BMWs metaverse JOYTOPIA 16:25 The future vision of BMW 20:55 The shift in the virtual worlds 23:30 JOY FOREVER 25:00 Welcome to Utopia You can find more information about our host Yomi Adegoke here and about our guest Stefan Ponikva here. Tune in to find out what Forwardism sounds like. Want to know what Forwardism looks like? Click here and experience a new dimension of luxury with the BMW i7.