For eight years, the BMW Group has been paying due respect to corporate due diligence within the supplier network. Back in 2008, we defined comprehensive preventive measures, such as contractual obligations to adhere to environmental and social standards and for the first time laid these down as specifications when commissioning suppliers for the BMW i3.

In 2014, these standards were extended with the addition of a multi-stage due diligence process, which encompasses the procurement of production material for all vehicle models as well as non-production-related goods and services. Examples of the contents include the contractual obligation for extended environmental and social standards, human rights as well as management systems for occupational safety and environmental protection. All suppliers with direct business relationship with the BMW Group must pass on these requirements to their respective subsuppliers in the form of a contract.

We believe in respect of the internationally recognised human rights and are guided, among others, by the following principles and regulations

• The United Nations Guiding principles on Business and Human Rights.
• Principles of the UN Global Compact.
• Principles of the International Labour Organisation.
• OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct.
• The National Action Plan of the German Federal Government.
• The Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains of the Federal Republic of Germany derived therefrom.

We purchase the critical raw materials lithium and cobalt – key raw materials for the production of battery cells – for the current fifth generation directly from raw material suppliers and make them available to the producers of our current generation of battery cells. This enables us to achieve traceability (mass balance) for the origin as well as transparency in terms of the extraction methods.
 

•  Alignment of the corporate due diligence with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas
• Sustainability standards through security of supply, price stability and secure working conditions
• Foundation of the industry-wide initiative “Cobalt for Development

The BMW GROUP Due Diligence Programme encompasses:

• Continuous risk analysis by BMW Group specific risk filter, which is supplemented by standardised risk maps from the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA). 
• Dynamic assessment methodology to achieve a high-grade, country-specific risk analysis for every evaluated supplier location. 
• Use of various data sources such as the UNICEF index for child labour.
• Combination of this risk assessment with a consideration of specific groups of raw materials. 
• We demand that suppliers with more than 100 employees provide externally audited and certified environmental management systems.