New city bus tire launched with high share of renewable and recycled materials

Hanover, Germany, September 17, 2025. Continental is launching the new Conti Urban HA 5 NXT city bus tire at the leading trade fair, Busworld Europe, in Brussels. The Conti Urban HA 5 NXT is the manufacturer’s most advanced city bus tire to date: up to 60 percent of the materials used are renewable, recycled and ISCC PLUS* mass-balance-certified. By reducing rolling resistance by 25 percent, Continental enables electric buses to operate more efficiently and extend their range by up to 15 percent. At the same time, a newly developed tread compound delivers up to 15 percent higher mileage compared to the Conti Urban HA 3, while still maintaining the proven EU label class B rating for wet grip.

Continental is placing the new city bus tire at the center of its brand presence at Busworld Europe in Brussels: “This major industry gathering is an excellent platform to present the Conti Urban HA 5 NXT to our original equipment customers, fleet operators, transport companies, and also the trade public,” says Leo Kolodziej, Head of Original Equipment Bus and Truck Tires EMEA at Continental. The organizers expect more than 40,000 visitors from October 4 to 9, 2025.

ISCC PLUS: Complete traceability of mass-balanced-certified materials

With up to 60 percent renewable, recycled, and ISCC PLUS mass-balanced-certified materials, the Conti Urban HA 5 NXT is ideal for fleets looking for an efficient solution for urban traffic requirements. “In addition to the transformation to climate-friendly local public transport, this also includes familiar challenges such as curbs, frequent traffic lights, and driving in narrow streets," says Hinnerk Kaiser, Head of Product Development Bus and Truck Tires EMEA at Continental. The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification^* (ISCC) was founded in 2010 as part of a multi-stakeholder initiative and is a leading global certification system for promoting a traceable, sustainable, deforestation-free, and climate-friendly supply chain. The ISCC PLUS^** standard specifically supports the transition to a circular economy and bioeconomy. This voluntary certification standard validates the sustainability characteristics of alternative raw materials along the entire supply chain, from origin to end user.

The tire manufacturer is consistently aligning its development for the bus segment with the megatrends of urbanization and emission-free mobility. According to the EU authority Eurostat, around 80 percent of Europeans will live in urban centers by 2030. This makes low-noise and low-emission transport solutions and digital traffic management systems indispensable. The ambitious EU climate targets and new regulations are reinforcing this development. According to the European Commission, only zero-emission buses will be newly registered from 2030. In 2024, 50 percent of all newly registered city buses in the EU were already clean (source: DVV Media „Alternative Drivelines for City buses 2024“). In countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Slovenia, Ireland, Finland, and Portugal, this figure was 100 percent.

Particularly noteworthy is the material content of up to 60 percent from renewable, recycled, and ISCC PLUS mass-balance-certified sources. ISCC stands for International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS and enables a traceable supply chain of renewable and recycled raw materials. “The externally certified lifecycle assessment*** shows an 11 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the previous Conti Urban HA 3 model,” explains Kaiser. Among other things, natural rubber, renewable fillers, recycled synthetic rubber, and rubber from mechanically processed scrap tires are used.

Continental is driving forward innovative technologies and more sustainable solutions throughout its entire value chain – from sourcing more sustainable materials to recycling end-of-life tires. By 2030, the company aims to increase the share of renewable and recycled materials in its tire production to at least 40 percent – while always maintaining the same high safety and performance characteristics.

Broadening the portfolio for urban public transport

The Conti Urban HA 5 NXT is now available in size 275/70 R 22.5. It also comes with sensors as standard for original equipment, which are available on request for the replacement market. The tire complements the portfolio around the Conti Urban HA 5, which was introduced in 2024, and offers fleet operators a targeted selection for urban public transport.

Continental will present the Conti Urban HA 5 NXT and other solutions for buses and vans from October 4 to 9, 2025, at “Busworld Europe” in Brussels (Hall 7, Stand 784).

_{* The ISCC PLUS standard supports the transition to a circular economy and bioeconomy. This voluntary certification standard validates the sustainability characteristics of alternative feedstocks throughout the entire supply chain, from origin to end consumer}

_{** Founded in 2010 through a multi-stakeholder initiative, the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) is a globally applicable and leading certification system designed to enhance traceable, sustainable, deforestation-free, and climate-friendly supply chains. ISCC certifications are widely recognized and cover sustainable agricultural biomass, biogenic wastes and residues, non-biological renewable materials and recycled carbon-based materials. The development and implementation of different certification standards is ISCC’s tool to promote its mission to mitigate climate change and bring more traceability into global markets and supply chains.}

_{*** Based on an externally certified lifecycle assessment model, following the methodology indicated in the ISO 14040/44, where both products were modelled using the same methodological assumptions.}