Continental honored with KS Energy and Environment Award 2025
- German Automobilclub KS e.V. has awarded the tire manufacturer for producing its most sustainable series tire to date in the vehicle technology category
- Award is endowed with a €10,000 donation to Kleine Herzen Hannover e.V.
- Kristina Kumme, Strategic Program Manager EMEA at Continental Tires: "With the UltraContact NXT, we have succeeded in combining maximum sustainability with excellent performance."
Hanover, Germany, July 7, 2025. Continental has won the 43rd KS Energy and Environment Award in the vehicle technology category from Automobilclub KS e.V. for its commitment to sustainability. The third-largest automobile club in Germany has based its decision on Continental's UltraContact NXT tire, the company's most sustainable series tire to date. Depending on the tire size, the UltraContact NXT has a share of up to 65 percent renewable, recycled, and ISCC PLUS mass balance-certified materials.
The award is endowed with a donation of 10,000 euros, which the Automobilclub KS e.V. is donating to the Kleine Herzen Hanover association at Continental's request. The association has been supporting the children's heart clinic at Hanover Medical School on a voluntary basis since 2006 with various measures such as crisis support, music and sound therapy or the expansion of the treatment rooms.
"With the UltraContact NXT, we have taken a significant step forward by combining maximum sustainability with excellent performance. We are pleased that the KS Energy and Environment Award jury recognized this innovative development, and we are honored to support a significant charitable organization with a 10,000-euro donation through this award," said Kristina Kumme, Continental Tires' Strategic Program Manager EMEA, who accepted the award in Munich.
Depending on the tire size, the UltraContact NXT has a share of up to 65 percent renewable, recycled, and mass balance-certified materials. Up to 32 percent of the materials are renewable. Recycled materials account for up to five percent. Additionally, Continental sources up to 28 percent of its materials from biological, biological-circular, and circular sources, which are certified by the ISCC PLUS mass balance system. All available sizes received the top rating ("A") on the EU tire label in the areas of rolling resistance, wet braking, and exterior noise.
"For us, this volume tire is clear proof that Continental is working hard to promote innovative technologies and sustainable solutions throughout the entire value chain. Given that every car, regardless of its drive type, needs tires today and will continue to need them in the future, this innovation has a significant impact," says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Anselm, a member of the expert jury, regarding his decision for this year's award winner in the vehicle technology category.
The KS Energy and Environment Prize is awarded annually by Automobilclub KS e.V. and has been recognizing innovations for saving energy and reducing emissions since 1981. It has thus been an early champion of greater environmental and climate protection in the transport sector. From the very beginning, the prize has had prominent patrons: initially it was the German Federal Ministry of Research and Technology, later the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Since 2022, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection has been the patron of the award.
In addition to its test successes, the UltraContact NXT has already won several industry awards since its launch for its highly innovative combination of sustainability and performance. These include the Swiss Automotive Show Innovation Award 2023, the International Design Award 2023, the German Innovation Award 2024, the CLEPA Innovation Award 2024 and the Sustainability Award in Automotive 2025.
