BMW Group has partnered with circular economy company PreZero to develop closed-loop recycling approaches for end-of-life vehicles across Europe.
The agreement was formalised at the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence campus in Heilbronn and centres on building a commercial framework to recover and reuse automotive materials.
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The companies said the aim is to cut reliance on newly mined resources while improving supply-chain robustness within the European car industry.
BMW Group customer support & aftersales senior vice president Ralf Hattler said: “Together with PreZero, we are creating the conditions needed to design a vehicle’s entire value chain in a way that keeps materials and components of the highest quality in the loop for as long as possible.
“Our goal is to significantly reduce the need for primary materials and make supply chains more resilient.”
Early work will prioritise extending the usable life of vehicle components before introducing additional recycling methods to obtain higher-grade secondary materials and raw inputs.
These include steel, aluminium, plastics and battery-related materials.
Both groups plan to trial recycling technologies together and refine new approaches to managing material flows, with the intention of scaling selected processes for serial application.
BMW Group will contribute its “design for recycling” know-how, expertise from its in-house recycling and dismantling centre, and experience in materials and manufacturing.
PreZero will bring its knowledge of European waste streams and sorting systems, alongside battery-recycling capabilities.
BMW said the partnership supports its corporate and decarbonisation strategy and aligns with European Union circular-economy objectives and efforts to strengthen industrial resilience.
PreZero Germany CEO Carsten Dülfer added: “Together, we are developing scalable solutions that not only meet strict compliance and sustainability requirements but also drive the decarbonisation of the industry across Europe. In this way, we are closing the gap between automotive development and the realities of recycling.”
