Monday 9 December 2019

BMW plant in India launches innovative system to save water

The BMW Group's ultramodern plant in Chennai has implemented a range of water saving measures based on use of rainwater, conservation of fresh water and water treatment.

So far more than 340,000 litres of rainwater have been collected in special tanks installed across the site in eastern India. Employees now use this water wherever possible; for instance, in checking glass insulation, testing whether special paints repel moisture or for aquaplaning tests.

For the last three years rainfall during the monsoon season in the city has been significantly lower than usual. This has led to severe water shortages in the area.

“Water is a valuable resource and, this year, we had a severe drought with nearly 200 days without rain” states Ramakrishnan Muralidaran, who manages sustainability and environmental issues at the plant. Adding, “The BMW Group wants to help at the very least alleviate the situation, insofar as that is possible for an individual plant.”

At the factory, water used in production is recycled at a treatment facility and fed back into the process. Water that has been used for cleaning is also treated so that it can be reused for gardening. As a result, the plant has reduced water consumption by more than 30% – from 42 million litres in 2016, to 29 million litres in 2018.

The BMW factory produces 11 different models, including the BMW 3, 5 and 7 Series. The plant also has ambitious plans to go from 50% carbon-free energy currently to 100%, in the near future. Experts are exploring next steps, including improving the solar power installation on the plant's roofs with the ultimate aim of achieving net zero emissions.