What is your project about?
With "PowerUp - Empowering Social Mobility", we want to use batteries from our development vehicles to support social organisations around the world with electricity from renewable energy sources. There are a lot of batteries for electric vehicles that are almost as good as new and are recycled nearly unused after the test phase. As secure access to renewable energy in particular is a real problem in many developing countries, we want to use these batteries to support social projects and save CO2 at the same time. As a first step, we want to supply schools with electricity, starting with a primary school in South Africa. Education is essential for social mobility and access to energy can help here: The schools become independent of the often-monopolistic energy providers, they can bridge power outages and save costs, which they can in turn invest in educational materials.
How does your work contribute to the BMW Group's sustainability goals?
Through the project, we are contributing to the circular economy and supporting our local communities. The batteries are sent to our battery recycling centre after being used at the school and serve as the basis for new batteries.
What does sustainability mean to you personally?
Using resources sparingly in our environment, both ecologically, economically and socially.
What is your idea of a sustainable world?
A world that is based on the cycles of nature and optimises every process step in terms of resource use while taking social needs into account.
Have you always been interested in the topic of sustainability?
I learnt early on from my parents and grandparents to appreciate the value of things, to use them for a long time and to try to repair them before replacing them. At the same time, I am very aware of my privileges and try to do what I can to open up opportunities for other people so that they too can realise their full potential. That's why my commitment to social sustainability and education is very important to me.