BMW And PreZero Build A Closed-Loop Future For Car Materials

BMW Group and PreZero are joining forces to push circular manufacturing from a talking point into something the European car industry can run on. Signed at the IPAI campus in Heilbronn, the strategic cooperation targets one clear goal: turn end-of-life vehicles into a reliable, high-quality source of materials, creating a closed loop that keeps components and resources circulating rather than being lost to waste.

The idea starts with keeping parts in service for as long as possible. Instead of treating an old car as the end of the road, the partnership prioritises reuse first—holding onto valuable components where they can continue to deliver mileage and function. Only after that comes the next stage: advanced recycling processes designed to recover more usable material at higher quality, cutting the need for newly mined raw inputs.

For BMW, the project plugs directly into its broader decarbonisation and resource-efficiency strategy. The company’s focus is on designing the entire value chain so materials stay in the loop longer, reducing dependence on primary resources and strengthening supply-chain resilience. In practical terms, that means building cars with their second and third lives in mind, not just their first owner.

PreZero brings the recycling muscle and the market reality check. With experience in European material flows, sorting technologies and battery recycling, it adds the infrastructure and know-how needed to make circularity scalable rather than theoretical. The collaboration is positioned as a way to bridge the gap between how cars are engineered and how they can be dismantled and processed efficiently at the end of their life.

Next comes the hard work: jointly testing recycling methods, refining material-flow management and driving processes towards series maturity. The target materials read like the backbone of modern carmaking—steel, aluminium, plastics and battery raw materials—recovered in a way that supports a stronger European supply base and aligns with the EU’s circular economy direction.