Companies look for projects with which to identify, which are impregnated with their values. Last week we knew first hand MINI for the Oceansin which the company helps Gravity Wave to clean the Mediterranean Sea of plastics.
MINI has set itself the goal of removing one kilo of plastic from the sea for every MINI sold in Spain. There are already 2,000 kg but the idea is to reach 10 tons. The collaboration with Gravity Wave, the Spanish start-up, began on June 8, the world oceans day. It is a young company, born after Amaia Rodríguez discovered on a trip to Asia how plastic waste even reached remote paradisiacal areas.
He took his brother Julen on board the project and they decided to focus their work on the Mediterranean, the most polluted sea in the world. And within plastics, in nets and fishing gear, which account for almost 80% of plastic. They already have bases on the Spanish Mediterranean coast and are present in Greece, France and Italy. They soon set off in Egypt to clean up the mouth of the Nile River.
Thousands of fishermen help to collect these nets and deposit them in specific containers in each port. Later, it becomes urban furniture that is transferred to the municipalities.
Why does MINI support this project?
From the management of MINI Spain they explained the collaboration with Gravity Wave. They liked the start-up, run by young people with a lot of energy. Also, that it is a tangible project (it can be measured in the amount of plastic recovered) and close. The recycling of the salvaged raw materials was also definitive.
This is in line with the sustainability strategy of the BMW group. They have taken control of the supply chain of materials, so that they are sustainable from an environmental and social point of view. They also consider the emissions of their vehicles throughout the life cycle and promote the use of secondary (recycled) materials. In fact, the percentage of plastics (in bumpers, panels or carpet) in fabrics and aluminum has been increasing.
Sustainability is in the company’s own gene. And it is that, if we take a look at the history of MINI, we see that the classic MINI was born as a response to the oil crisis in 1973. A car that required few resources in its manufacture and few when used.
Today the bet goes to electromobility. The brand has in its range the Mini Cooper SE since 2019 and the MINI Countryman PHEV. In 2024 the full range renewal will arrive, with new electrified models, including the production version of the Aceman concept. The goal is that by 2030 the 100% electric MINI will account for 50% of sales.
