No shit: Your shiny BMW car may have paint made from bio-waste materials

In a world gradually awakening to the urgent need for having a more sustainable way of life, auto manufacturers don't want to be left behind and be tagged as detrimental instruments of our environment's decline. While the use of recycled or up-cycled materials is gradually making its way into modern-cars, BMW wants to also ensure that the paint used to give its vehicles a remarkable gleam is made from renewable materials and has been making use of bio waste to derive the hues.

Crude oil is a vital part of paint production but according to BMW, the use of waste from sewage treatment plants in the process of paint production takes crude oil out of the equation. “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," says 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."

BMW says its sustainable manufacturing process reduces the CO2 emissions from paint production by more than 40 percent.

The company further claims that BMW Group is the first automotive manufacturer worldwide to use matt paints made from biomass instead of crude oil at its European plants. It is claimed that it is possible to replace petroleum-based precursors, such as naphtha, with renewable raw materials from organic waste, starting in the early stages of paint production.

But what about the quality?

The German brand outlines that the corrosion protection and matt paints used at BMW Group Plants Leipzig and Rosslyn (South Africa) are chemically identical to the paints previously used, with all the same properties as conventionally manufactured body coatings. The company produces close to 2.5 lakh units at its Leipzig and Rosslyn each year and claims that the increasing use of bio-waste in paint production will continue to serve a multitude of benefits.