BMW invests in Jetti Resources to secure copper for drive systems
BMW is investing in the US company Jetti Resources to promote the responsible and resource-conserving mining of copper. Copper is one of the key raw materials in the production of electric drive systems.
BMW is not disclosing the size of the investment in the US company, which was founded in 2014. Jetti Resources is based in Colorado and has developed an innovative technology to extract copper from previously unused ores that could not be processed economically. “The efficient process can help us improve the BMW Group’s environmental footprint despite increasing demand for raw materials,” expresses Wolfgang Obermaier, Head of Indirect Goods and Services, Raw Materials, Production Partners of the BMW Group.
Jetti Resources’ process is said to make it possible to recover previously trapped copper resources and thus increase the production volume and service life of existing extraction plants. And: “Jetti Resources’ method allows copper mines to use heap leaching on these ores, which causes around 40% fewer CO2 emissions compared to traditional raw material extraction and uses only approximately 50% of the water. The technology is already being deployed to great success at industrial scale. Jetti Resources plans to push ahead with global expansion together with its partners,” the Munich-based carmaker explains.
The BMW Group is known to be aiming for at least half of its global sales to come from fully electric vehicles by 2030. To secure materials, the OEM is repeatedly penetrating deep into the upstream supply chain. To ensure the transparency and traceability of raw material processing within the complex supplier network, the BMW Group says it is involved in Catena-X, an alliance for secure and standardised data exchange in the supply chain.
0 Comments