SUSTAINABILITY DISRUPTOR OF THE YEAR

SUSTAINABILITY ISN'T JUST ABOUT BUYING an electric vehicle or driving in a way that saves fuel.

- EILEEN FALKENBERG-HULL, JAKE LINGEMAN

The entire life cycle of a vehicle is considered in its footprint, from the mining of rare earth metals to make batteries and computer chips to recyclability once its usable life has ended.

MINI began making cars when the world of high priced gasoline collided with the trend of large car ownership. Big cars weren't just costly to fill up, they were impractical for use on European roads.

"In 1959, the first Mini was created to address an energy challenge and an urban mobility challenge.

The result was a car that was both energy efficient and space efficient that helped grow MINI into an enduring icon. That first Mini also showed that being sustainable did not have to be boring," a MINI spokesperson told Newsweek.

"With the wheels at the four corners, a low center of gravity in a small, light and nimble package, the Mini was fun to drive as much as it was sustainable," they said.

Those priorities remain in the latest batch of MINIS to be revealed. Attention was paid to the entire life cycle of the Cooper and Countryman during their redesign process.

MINI is one of the first companies to create a vehicle with full-body end-of-life recyclability in mind from the get-go. Considerations for the new MINI Cooper and Countryman include battery removal and recycling, as well as how easy it is to pull apart the model and recycle its various components such as plastic and aluminum for use in future vehicles.

As designers and engineers spent years creating new products, MINI's manufacturing plants were busy changing how they operated, becoming greener.

Many MINIs are made at the company's Oxford, England, plant. There, 21 heavy-goods vehicles, powered by liquified natural gas rather than petrol or diesel, move components around the site. The result is near-zero particulate matter emissions and 20 percent lower CO2 emissions than traditionally powered models.