BMW uses biobased coatings in automotive production

The BMW Group has chosen to use BASF Coatings’ “CathoGuard 800” ReSource e-coat at its plants in Leipzig, Germany, and Rosslyn, South Africa, and the “iGloss matt ReSource” clearcoat throughout Europe. Using these more sustainable product versions for vehicle coatings enables CO₂ avoidance of around 40% per coating layer; this will reduce the amount of CO₂ emitted in the plants by more than 15,000 metric tons by 2030.

“The biomass balance approach allows us to make our coatings solutions even more sustainable while retaining the same quality. We are delighted that the BMW Group has chosen to play a pioneering role in the automotive industry and that our products play a key part in helping it achieve its ambitious sustainability goals,” said Dr. Markus Kamieth, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE.

Less fossil fuels in car painting

“By reducing our use of fossil raw materials, we can conserve natural resources and lower CO₂ emissions at the same time. To achieve this, we are increasingly relying on sustainability innovations in our supplier network,” said Joachim Post, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Purchasing and Supplier Network. “Innovative paints based on renewable raw materials are an important step in this direction.”

The BMW Group produces an average of around 250,000 vehicles every year at its plants in Leipzig and Rosslyn. The CathoGuard 800 e-coat main goal is corrosion protection with a good edge coverage. Its biomass-balanced version “ReSource”, adds a reduced carbon footprint to the e-coat application’s material efficiency, without changing the product’s formulation.

In BASF’s biomass balance approach, renewable raw materials like bio-based naphtha and biomethane from organic waste are used as raw materials when manufacturing primary chemical products and are fed into the production. The proportion of bio-based raw materials is then arithmetically assigned to certain sales products according to a certified method. This attribution model is comparable with the principle of green electricity.

Further information: https://www.basf-coatings.com