Last week, BMW was one of the few major carmakers present at Climate Week NYC, attempting to convince the audience of the automotive industry’s efforts toward a sustainable future by spotlighting its Neue Klasse iX3 as a milestone in circularity, efficiency, and lifecycle CO2 reduction.
At the same time, on the opposite side of New York City, President Trump was ‘lecturing’ the world about “Climate change, no matter what happens… if you don’t get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail.”
Concrete climate solutions
Climate Week NYC is the world’s largest annual climate event, held every September in New York City since 2009. It is organized by the Climate Group, an international non-profit, in partnership with the United Nations, the City of New York, and other major partners.
It’s not about selling cars; it’s about showcasing concrete climate solutions. Automakers that participate need to demonstrate they’re serious about reducing emissions throughout the entire lifecycle, not just at the tailpipe. BMW was an ‘Official Partner’ for Climate Week NYC 2024, but this year was just a participant.
The Neue Klasse’s circularity
A central theme was ‘circularity,’ not just recycling, but designing for reuse, material separation, remanufacturing, and closed loops of resource use. BMW used its latest model, the iX3, which kicked off the launch campaign of the ‘Neue Klasse’ at the beginning of September, with the slogan ‘the start of a new era’.
First in line is the iX3, the SUV variant (or SAV for ‘Sports Activity Vehicle’ as BMW likes to call it), but it will soon (beginning of 2026) be followed by the i3 sedan.
BMW has already stated that secondary materials (i.e., recycled or reused materials) account for one-third of all materials used in the new iX3. Examples of this ‘circularity’ in the new iX3 are its wheels, which are made of approximately 70% recycled aluminum.
However, other parts of the car also consist of the same recycled percentage. 80 % of the wheel carriers and swivel bearings use secondary aluminum. When it comes to battery materials, the Gen6 battery cells use 50 % secondary cobalt, lithium, and nickel.
The plastic components, like the engine compartment cover and the storage compartment under the front hood, use 30 % recycled maritime plastics (from used fishing nets, ropes, etc.). And the car interior’s textiles feature ‘Econeer’ seat covers in which the textile, adhesive, and fleece are all made from PET to increase recyclability.
On display in NYC, for instance, were the four stages of recovering a dismantled bumper, grinding it up, and making it into a completely new one.
Reusing it as high-quality material
“A bumper shouldn’t be turned into a plastic bottle at the end; we should use it again as a high-quality material in the car,” Nils Hesse, vice president of product sustainability, told US car magazine Autoweek. The hardest part, Hesse told them, is getting the paint off.
As Vice President Product Sustainability, Hesse is responsible for overseeing how BMW integrates sustainability across the entire product lifecycle, from design and materials sourcing, through production, use, and end-of-life recycling or reuse.
BMW claims the iX3’s supply chain and component emissions (including raw materials, battery cell production, and logistics) have been reduced by 35% compared to conventional approaches.
The Debrecen plant is designed to operate on 100% electricity (with no fossil fuels in regular operation), including processes such as painting, which are typically CO₂-intensive. BMW states that the production of one iX3 in Debrecen emits only 0.1 t CO₂e (kilograms of CO₂ equivalent) in its local operations, which is about two-thirds lower than that of legacy plants.
What about the whole life cycle?
However, what about the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the iX3 compared to older BMW models, considering the entire life cycle from cradle to grave? This tends to be initially higher for EVs due to the battery.
BMW stated that the iX3 offsets its higher production emissions (mainly from battery manufacturing) in approximately one year of driving, compared to a combustion car. Because building an electric SUV requires more energy and materials, the iX3 rolls out of the factory with around four tonnes more CO₂ than a comparable petrol X3.
But once on the road, the balance shifts quickly. Over 200,000 kilometres, the combustion model emits about 43 tonnes of CO₂, while the iX3 adds just nine tonnes on the European electricity mix, and far less on renewables.
That means the iX3 catches up after roughly 20,000 kilometres, or about one year of average driving. BMW says that using recycled materials, cleaner supply chains, and its fossil-free Debrecen plant helped shorten this break-even point compared to earlier EVs.
Real-world outcome can deviate
Some critics caution that lifecycle “break-even” claims depend heavily on assumptions, including how electricity is generated, the car’s lifespan, driving patterns, and the efficacy of recycling. The real-world outcome can deviate significantly from ideal models.
However, a first-of-its-kind cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study by the University of Michigan and Ford, spanning various vehicle types, classes, regions, and usage patterns, showed once again that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are consistently the greener choice when comparing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
And BMW could do even better by not using a SUV as the example… Key insights show BEVs outperform all other powertrains in every U.S. county for lifetime GHG emissions. A 300-mile (483 km) range BEV emits 31 to 36% less than a 50-mile PHEV, 63 to 65% less than an HEV, and 71 to 73% less than an ICEV.
