We are combating climate change – for example, by developing products that help reduce carbon emissions. But it is not just the products themselves that contribute to greater sustainability; it is also the way we do things – how we bring these innovations into the world. For us, sustainable production and energy-efficient plants are crucial to a successful future. This is also reflected in our CO₂ reduction targets for our own operations.

We are in the process of developing our production facilities into more sustainable factories focused on energy and resource efficiency with low emissions. Since 2020, all the electricity purchased for all our plants worldwide has come from renewable energy sources. We have taken important steps at a variety of locations. In 2024, our Tires group sector achieved a total of 52.6 megawatts of peak capacity from its photovoltaic installations, enabling Continental to generate up to 37.7 gigawatt hours of additional green electricity each year. The facilities at our tire plants in Hefei (China), Rayong (Thailand), Hanover (Germany), Korbach (Germany) and Lousado (Portugal) were expanded. And a new installation was built in Alor Setar (Malaysia) as well.

Our ContiTech group sector is also prioritizing photovoltaics at several locations, including Timișoara (Romania), Subotica (Serbia), Szeged (Hungary), Wagrowiec (Poland), Weißbach (Germany), Changzhou (China), Kalayani (India) and Chihuahua (Mexico). Together, these facilities will now generate as much electricity annually as is consumed by the equivalent of around 3,000 households in Germany. To accelerate this shift to green energy, we have also initiated three pilot projects for sustainable production in Changzhou, Granby (Canada) and Dannenberg (Germany). These plants will serve as a guide to other locations on how to implement similar measures and as role models for other sites.

Another such role model is our tire production facility in Lousado, northern Portugal, where we are demonstrating that tires can be manufactured without generating CO₂ emissions. This is thanks to a fully electric steam boiler that runs on solar power generated by us at the plant and on green energy from the electricity grid. The boiler generates steam for vulcanization, a key process in converting raw rubber into a flexible, elastic form using thermal energy. The potential of this technology is huge. Continental’s Lousado plant has a production capacity of more than 18 million tires per year. One of the tires manufactured there is the UltraContact NXT, our most sustainable production tire to date. 

We are increasingly using renewable and recycled materials in our production processes worldwide. Their share averaged 26 percent in 2024 – and we expect this to rise by 2 to 3 percentage points in 2025. Certifications contribute to transparency here. Certification of our raw materials according to the ISCC PLUS standard enables seamless traceability, ensuring greater transparency along our supply chain.

Our ContiTech materials experts have largely replaced the synthetic rubber used in air springs for commercial vehicles with a mixture of natural rubber and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM) rubber. This new rubber compound is resistant to both cold and heat, thus slowing down material aging and reducing other harmful environmental influences. This makes it suitable for a broader range of high-performance applications, while it retains its dynamic properties. 

Furthermore, our Conti NXT V-ribbed belt for the aftermarket business is a true pioneering achievement from our materials experts. Compared with conventional V-ribbed belts, almost two-thirds of the Conti NXT is made from sustainable materials, including recycled PET bottles, organic fibers and recycled carbon black. 

In fact, the use of sustainable materials has been steadily increasing across all our business areas for some time now. Our tires are also becoming more and more sustainable in terms of the materials used. Take, for example, our Conti Urban NXT, Continental’s most sustainable commercial vehicle tire yet. It is ideal for delivery vehicles and electric buses in towns and cities – and contains 59 percent renewable, recycled and ISCC PLUS mass balance-certified materials. The mass-balance approach mixes bio-based and circular materials with conventional materials within the same production system, and tracks the respective certified quantities along the entire production chain. This ensures full transparency and material traceability within the product. The rolling resistance of the Conti Urban NXT has been reduced by 25 percent compared with its predecessor, the Conti Urban HA3. This means lower carbon emissions for vehicles with combustion engines and up to 15 percent greater range for electric vehicles. High-density interlocking sipes ensure a secure grip, superior tracking and excellent braking performance – also in wet conditions and throughout the entire service life of the tire. The specially developed rubber compound reduces tire abrasion and enhances resistance to cuts, cracks, chips and breakage. The mileage of the Conti Urban NXT is also around 15 percent higher than its predecessor. Boasting extremely low external rolling noise, the Conti Urban NXT is well suited to the requirements of electric-vehicle fleets.

Tires are made of a variety of materials and must meet the highest safety standards. Turning old tires into new ones is therefore a challenge, unlike plastics, glass, paper and many metals. 

While components like steel, and even the tread, can already be separated mechanically, rubber compounds are trickier and need to be separated chemically too. Through pyrolysis, rubber compounds are broken down into some of their base materials – mainly oil, gas and carbon. Pyrolysis oil can be used to produce new raw materials, for example. To further improve tire recycling through pyrolysis, Continental is collaborating with Pyrum Innovations and other recyclers. Pyrum breaks down our used tires into their individual components in industrial ovens using a special pyrolysis process. This process extracts valuable raw materials from the used tires, which can then be recycled. Recycled carbon black is used in all forklift tires manufactured at the Continental tire plant in Korbach, Germany. The next step is to use it in car tires as well.

Carbon black is not only an important raw material for tire production; it is also used in the manufacture of other industrial rubber products. Our ContiTech group sector, for example, uses this recycled raw material to manufacture sustainable belts and other products. The targeted use of carbon black in rubber compounds increases the stability, strength and durability of our products.

We encounter the topics of sustainability and resource conservation in almost every area of life. How are these expressed in the field of vehicle interior surfaces? An interview with our experts Christoph Seeger and Manfred Jahncke about current developments and the future of interior surfaces.

Click here for the complete interview.

A key building block for a circular economy is mass balancing – a smart approach that can turn this transformation into a reality, step by step.

Mass-balanced products are based on a sophisticated system: they are no longer made solely with conventional materials. Their production also incorporates certified bio-based and recycled materials. Even though these two types of raw materials are mixed together, we document their proportions meticulously, so that we can trace them throughout the entire production chain. This allows us to precisely allocate the quantity of these materials to the final product. With this approach, we can integrate alternative materials into production without completely overhauling existing processes.

Our ContiTech locations in Waltershausen and Eislingen, for example, have been awarded the prestigious International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS, which is based on this approach. Many of our tire plants, including those in Hefei (China), Lousado (Portugal) and Púchov (Slovakia) have also received this certification. This recognition marks another important milestone for us on our journey to a sustainable future. Step by step, we are increasing the share of renewable and recycled raw materials in our products and are able to trace them. This enables us to help our industrial customers worldwide to achieve their sustainability goals and drive forward the transition to a circular economy.

Sustainability is deeply embedded in our corporate strategy. Through our business, products and services, we are driving the ongoing transformation of the economy toward a healthy ecosystem for sustainable mobility and industries. The facts speak for themselves – and we can see the progress. But it is even more rewarding when others recognize these efforts. When our hard work is acknowledged globally through top ratings and awards, it proves that we at Continental are on the right track. 

One such example is the EcoVadis sustainability ranking, in which we have been participating for a number of years. This globally recognized assessment system evaluates the quality of companies’ sustainability management. In the most recent assessment, Continental was awarded the platinum medal. Scoring 84 out of 100 points, Continental also ranks among the top 1 percent of companies in the tire and supplier industry assessed by EcoVadis in terms of sustainability.

Another milestone is the recognition from the international non-profit organization CDP. Continental once again achieved excellent ratings in 2024, confirming its commitment to climate change mitigation and sustainability: “A-” in the area of climate change mitigation and “B” in the category of water security.

And we were finalists for the 2024 German Sustainability Award in two categories: as a company in the “Plastics and Rubber Industry” category and with our skai VyP Coffee upholstery covering in the “Resources” transformation field. This innovative product from our ContiTech group sector is made using recycled coffee grounds, meaning it is highly resource-efficient.

We are also proud to be reconfirmed a key member of the sustainability-focused FTSE4Good Index Series, which only includes companies with proven strong performance in environmental protection, social responsibility and corporate governance.

Detailed information on our ratings and rankings can be found on our Sustainability page.