what’s working: sustainability
Ecologically Sustainable Carbon Fiber Production
Producing carbon fiber takes a lot of energy, so when BMW wanted to ensure that its sporty electric car
had a fully green supply chain, the company looked to the sustainable hydropower of the Columbia River
system. Now the BMW i3 electric and i8 hybrid cars are built with low-weight, high-strength carbon fiber
spun in Moses Lake with 100 percent renewable hydroelectricity.
employer: SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers
location: Moses Lake
number of employees: 150
product: The BMW i model electric cars have entirely new vehicle designs thanks to an ultralight high-tech carbon composite
shell that requires automating the production of carbon fiber, which until now has been a complex, expensive process done by
hand. In Moses Lake, it produces carbon fibers by means of oxidation and carbonization, heating carbon in huge ovens until it
is black, strong and light. Those fibers are spun into threads of 50,000 individual filaments per bundle. Each filament is just 7
micrometers thick, or one-seventh the diameter of a strand of human hair. Once woven into fabrics, this material is rigid and
corrosion free, but weighs half as much as steel.
innovative environmental stewardship: Moses Lake is home to the most sustainable carbon fiber production
plant in the world. SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers uses 100 percent sustainable energy from the Wanapum and Priest Rapids
dams to power its production.
The automotive carbon fiber plant in Moses Lake earned Gold Medal certification from the LEED (Leadership in Environmental &
Energy Design) building certification system.
In celebrating an expansion of the plant in 2014, Gov. Jay Inslee said, “Today the center of advanced technology in our effort to
build a clean planet is Moses Lake,
Washington. There is no greater step
forward to reduce carbon pollution
than right here.”
in their own words:
“Sustainability plays a central role
for the BMW Group. We have set
up long-term sustainability goals
which have defined targets to
2020 and thereafter.”
Harold Krueger, chairman of the
—
Board of Management, BMW AG
www.sglacf.com/en/production/moseslake-usa/sustainable-mol.html
24 association of washington business