Climate Protection

Climate protection is part of our ecological and social responsibility. Our products and technologies also bear witness to this.

We want to make a contribution to tackling climate change – firstly, by operating on an energy-efficient basis, and secondly, by developing products that help reduce CO₂ emissions. We aim to use increasingly scarce raw materials as efficiently as possible and, wherever possible, to develop more sustainable alternatives.

Electricity from renewable sources should be used at all production locations by the end of 2020. We intend to make our production CO₂-neutral by 2040. By the end of 2050, we also want to be CO₂-neutral in the value chain.

We contribute to climate protection with a wide range of products. With a variety of solutions, we are able to reduce both the CO₂ emissions of our automotive and industrial customers as well as those of the end users. 

The energy consumption of vehicles is a key area in which we are focusing our activities aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions. We are working to lower the dead weight of our products – since the lighter they are, the less energy a vehicle's drive requires. We are also looking into ways to reduce the rolling and friction resistance of tires, engines and transmissions, because lower resistance also means lower energy requirements.

Furthermore, we are developing products to protect our climate in other areas. For example, we are significantly lowering vehicles' CO₂ emissions by means of innovative hybrid drives, injection valves, telematic systems, and optimized hose lines. Our technologies are used to protect the environment outside the automotive industry – in mining, for example.

Our CDP assessment confirms the success of our commitment to climate and water protection. The organization assesses the environmental performance of companies with respect to CO₂ emissions, water management and sustainable processes in other categories such as resource management.

This is based on company data and information on CO₂ emissions, the risks of these emissions for the climate and strategies employed to reduce emissions. They specifically assessed water risks management and efficiency projects, as well as the design of the supply chain in the area of water.

Continental has been participating in the CDP’s annual reporting and disclosure of climate-related data for more than 10 years. In 2021, Continental again received an “A” score as a global leader for actions and strategies to reduce emissions in the supply chain (Leadership status) for the fourth time in a row. Continental scored a “B” for its efforts in the field of climate protection. In the category of sustainable water management, Continental’s actions and data also scored a “B.”