BMW China campaigns to safeguard clear waters and lush mountains

Wetlands, dubbed the Earth's kidneys, are crucial to the ecosystem. With their preservation intertwined with us all, BMW China launched corporate social responsibility programs recently to raise awareness and engage the public in conserving them for the benefit of the environment and society.

In China, wetlands account for 96 percent of the country's available freshwater resources and provide habitat for roughly half of the rare bird species under national first-level protection. Globally, wetlands store between 300-600 billion metric tons of carbon. Damaging them could release a substantial amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, exacerbating global warming.

All of these stress the importance of wetland conservation to humanity. In order to raise public awareness of this, BMW China in partnership with the China Science and Technology Museum presented the "Voices of Change to Build a Beautiful China Popular Science Salon" on Nov 27 in Beijing.

One of the outcomes of this is the Enriching Wetlands for Harmonious Coexistence and Circularity exhibition, set to open at the museum from mid-December to February. The exhibition will feature interactive displays and artistic interpretations that bring biodiversity conservation and sustainability concepts to life, educating visitors about concepts of carbon reduction and carbon capture.

The public welfare documentary-The 'Reddest' Wetland in China — a year-long collaboration with the Institute for Planets, also premiered at the event. It shows a journey through China's diverse wetlands, featuring birds, flowing rivers and stunning tidal trees. It has racked up millions of views online.

According to Franz Decker, president and CEO of BMW Brilliance Automotive, BMW's initiation of the biodiversity conservation program in China since 2021 has been pioneering and forward-thinking.

"Through innovative actions, we aspire to be part of the solution for biodiversity conservation and contribute to the construction of a beautiful China. Sustainability is about more than just 'being green'; it is about harmonious coexistence between humans and nature," Decker said.

For BMW China, biodiversity conservation necessitates collaborative efforts with experts from various sectors. Therefore, the automaker has partnered with the China Science and Technology Museum, Tsinghua University, China Green Foundation and other institutes to ensure that their initiatives are scientifically reliable.

The interdisciplinary collaboration not only enhances the effectiveness of projects but brings new insights to all parties involved, Decker said.

Besides, BMW has used livestreaming, courses, promotional videos, public exhibitions and other methods to raise awareness about biodiversity conservation.

For the third consecutive year, the BMW Warm Heart Fund has supported both the Liaohekou and Yellow River Delta national nature reserves, in efforts to engage the public in biodiversity conservation.

Meanwhile, the 2024 BMW Beautiful Homeland Initiative contributes to biodiversity conservation efforts at the Liaohekou National Nature Reserve, focusing on the protection of aquatic environments within the wetland national park.

The initiative funds research on the conservation of flagship wetland species, particularly the red-crowned crane. For the first time, red-crowned cranes released into the wild at the reserve were fitted with GPS trackers, allowing researchers to monitor their migration in real-time.

A popular science video, Liaohekou Wetland's Three Treasures, and the Shandong Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve Study Course Manual were released to provide the public with more resources and knowledge about wetland conservation.

Through corporate influence, the BMW Beautiful Homeland Initiative engages stakeholders in biodiversity conservation. For example, it encourages dealers to host biodiversity-themed events and organizes employee beach clean-ups. Audited by PwC, the initiative involved 29 million individuals by 2023.

"As a corporation, besides pursuing profitability, long-term success should also encompass sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. BMW's core values emphasize that our decisions should withstand historical scrutiny and the judgment of future generations," Decker said.

"With 'Responsibility First' as the guiding principle, we are moving forward steadily. Only by adhering to a long-term perspective can we reach far," the automaker said.

BMW has been creating value for Chinese society for 20 years with CSR as the cornerstone of sustainable development. Its CSR focuses on four major projects: BMW China Culture Journey, BMW Children's Traffic Safety Education, BMW Beautiful Homeland Initiative and BMW JOY Home, aiming at providing innovative solutions to social issues in China.