Our research and development experts work tirelessly to enhance the sustainability of our products. For example, we are the first manufacturer to mass-produce tires with a very high proportion of sustainable materials. The development of the UltraContact NXT once again proves our technology leadership as well as our strong commitment to sustainability and safety. We want to continue tackling sustainability issues actively, progressively and innovatively. After all, our strategic goal is to have over 40 percent renewable and recycled materials in our tires by 2030. With the UltraContact NXT, we have reached an important milestone. And it is far from the first.
1.
Fully circular loops in which our materials originate from a closed material cycle.
2.
No harmful effects: Our materials are not harmful to operators, users or the environment.
3.
Responsible value chain: Our materials originate from known sources. We audit our supply chain with great care, which helps to minimize social, environmental and human rights risks.
4.
Neutral carbon footprint: Our materials have minimal impact on the environment and ensure carbon neutrality along the entire supply chain.
Would you like to learn more about our sustainable materials and our responsible material sourcing strategies?
The Urban Taraxagum bicycle tire is the first series tire to be manufactured with a tread made of dandelion rubber. It has already won several sustainability awards and has been on the market since 2019. The dandelion rubber used is grown, extracted and processed in Germany. The local extraction of raw materials avoids long transport routes and conserves valuable resources. The tire is produced at the tire plant in Korbach. At the Taraxagum research laboratory in Anklam, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, employees from the fields of agricultural sciences, chemistry, production and process engineering are responsible for cultivating the plants as well as for developing, constructing and operating machines for experiments on the further processing of Russian dandelions.
The proportion of renewable raw materials used in the Conti GreenConcept is 35 percent. The materials used include natural rubber from dandelions, silicate from the ashes of rice husks along with various vegetable oils and resins, which significantly reduce the proportion of crude-oil-based materials. In addition, 17 percent recycled materials are used. In addition to recycled steel and carbon black, we have for the first time used polyester from recycled PET bottles in the carcass of a tire.
With the ContiRe.Tex technology, a high-quality polyester yarn is produced from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. The yarn completely replaces conventional polyester, which is normally used for the construction of tire carcasses, while being just as durable. The material is produced mechanically and without intermediate chemical steps. The process involves manually separating the bottles from the caps and then mechanically cleaning, shredding and processing the plastic into granules that are eventually spun into the polyester yarn used to make our sustainable tires. The ContiRe.Tex technology is currently available in five sizes in the tire categories PremiumContact 6, EcoContact 6 and AllSeasonContact.
Here you can find out more about the ContiRe.Tex Technology.
Since 2022, all new tires in the "Gravity" mountain bike product range produced in Korbach have contained responsibly sourced natural rubber from a development project undertaken together with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. State-of-the-art digital technologies, local involvement in the cultivation of rubber and close cooperation with strong partners create transparency and a high level of traceability along the entire value chain for natural rubber.
The Conti Urban concept tire is designed for electrified city buses and delivery vehicles in urban environments. Already approved for road traffic, this concept tire consists of around 50 percent renewable and recycled materials. The tread of the Conti Urban contains 68 percent renewable materials. These include rapeseed oil and silicate, which is extracted from the ashes of rice husks, as well as responsibly sourced natural rubber. If the tire is retreaded (that is the carcass is provided with a new tread) the proportion of renewable and recycled materials increases to over 90 percent.
The UltraContact NXT is the most sustainable production tire to date. With up to 65 percent renewable, recycled and mass-balance-certified materials, the tire combines a high proportion of sustainable materials with maximum safety and performance. The proportion of renewable materials amounts to as much as 32 percent. Recycled materials account for up to 5 percent. In addition, we source up to 28 percent ISCC PLUS mass-balance-certified materials from biological, biological-circular and circular raw materials.
Since 2023, newly produced Super Elastic solid tires have been receiving recovered carbon black (rCB) at Continental's tire plant in Korbach. This saves the use of fossil raw materials and reduces CO2 emissions. Solid tires such as Continental's SC20+ are mainly used in material handling for forklift trucks, airport vehicles or other industrial vehicles and, thanks to their high natural rubber content, already contain around 60 percent renewable and recycled materials.
Here you can find out more about the use of recovered carbon black (rCB) in our solid tires.
Urban traffic means stop-and-go traffic. Our latest tire technology increases the overall energy efficiency of a tire in these driving situations by up to ten percent. This means lower CO2 emissions for passenger cars with combustion engines and longer ranges for electric vehicles. This is achieved by optimizing tire behavior in urban stop-and-go traffic, which can extend the range of passenger cars by up to three percent. This corresponds to a saving of 0.6 kWh per 100 kilometers for electric vehicles.
The Pure CONTACT provides riders with confidence in dry and wet conditions. Its tread pattern features symmetrical repeating grooves, scales, and drainage elements for better grip and rolling resistance, making it ideal for urban use and occasional off-road adventures. The tire contains silicate from the ash of rice husks, an agricultural waste product that is processed into silica through a new, lower energy-consuming process. Silica helps to optimize beneficial tire characteristics such as grip, rolling resistance and durability, while, natural rubber is a crucial material for strength and further durability. The natural rubber utilized by Continental is responsibly sourced.
Press Release:
The Future on the Road: How Continental Is Transferring Technologies from Concept Tires to Series Production
Link to Press Release
