BMW Group creates closed-loop material cycle

Munich. The BMW Group is making raw materials considered to be so-called conflict minerals a special focus of its sustainability strategy. This includes ores where mining or trading is often associated with violations of environmental and social standards. Tungsten is an example of this: Once considered an irritating by-product of tin mining, since it “ate up” the tin ore, it took a few hundred years for carbide’s unique properties to be recognised: heavy like gold, hard as a diamond and dozens of times more heat-resistant than iron. Today, it can be found in the vibration alarm of mobile phones and light bulb filaments, as well as drill and milling bits for industrial machinery used in producing cars.