- thyssenkrupp Steel is to start supplying bluemint® recycled to the BMW Group from 2026 for use in series production, in particular for the outer panels and battery housing of the BMW iX3
- bluemint® recycled offers identical properties to conventional steel and meets the highest quality and safety requirements without any adaptations in production
CO₂-reduced steel for outer panel components with the highest surface requirements
The automotive industry uses almost exclusively primary steel, which is extracted from iron ore, for the outer body shell – especially for what are called the O5 components with particularly high surface quality. Due to its high degree of purity and low exposure to undesirable accompanying elements, it also meets the highest requirements in terms of surface quality, formability, and processing. With bluemint® recycled, a CO₂-reduced steel product is now available that meets these quality requirements and can be used in the demanding series production of outer panels. The material is produced using the classic blast furnace route, in which part of the iron ore is replaced by a specially processed scrap product. This reduces the use of coking coal and significantly cuts CO₂ emissions depending on the grade and processing – without compromising formability or surface quality.
CO₂-reduced steel: additional use in the battery housing
bluemint® recycled is also used for the battery housing in the BMW iX3. In this application in particular, the components benefit from the typical properties of steel, which are of key importance for safety and functionality in electric vehicles. Steel can withstand high temperatures, is non-combustible and forms a robust barrier in critical load cases – a decisive advantage for fire protection. In addition, unlike lightweight metals, steel offers superior electromagnetic shielding. This stabilizes system performance and reduces the design effort required for additional shielding measures.
Georgios Giovanakis, Chief Sales Officer at thyssenkrupp Steel, explains: "With bluemint® recycled, the BMW Group has access to a CO₂-reduced steel product that meets the highest quality requirements and can be used directly in series production. The fact that bluemint® Steel is used for both outer panel components and battery housings shows the great potential of CO₂-reduced steel. Electromobility and climate‑friendly steel together make an important contribution to reducing industrial emissions."
Contribution to sustainable mobility
The combination of electric mobility and CO₂-reduced steel shows how technological innovations along the value chain contribute to the same goal: measurable climate change mitigation effects on an industrial scale. The use of bluemint® recycled in the outer panel and battery components of the BMW iX3 illustrates the potential of using CO₂-reduced materials under series production conditions, while at the same time reliably meeting the requirements of modern vehicle architectures. Moreover, the use of scrap in bluemint® recycled enables a higher recycling rate in the vehicle – another important building block for sustainable production that husbands resources.
Transformation of steel production as the key to carbon neutrality
bluemint® recycled is part of thyssenkrupp Steel's transformation pathway toward carbon-neutral steel production. The planned operation of a hydrogen-capable direct reduction plant will gradually replace the previous coal-based steel production process. The plant will produce up to 2.5 million metric tons of direct reduced iron (DRI) per year, enabling a CO₂ reduction of up to 3.5 million metric tons per year. By 2045 at the latest, it is planned for all production to be changed over to climate-neutral bluemint® steel.
