“By 2050 at the latest, 100 per cent of our tyres will either be renewed or made from 100 per cent recycled or other sustainable materials. A very important strategic topic in this regard are circular economy solutions. With the ContiLifeCycle concept, for example, we have been active in retreading tyres as well as recycling them for a long time. Since 2013, we have been demonstrating how both approaches can be used in an integrated way.
“In addition to significant cost savings for end customers, retreading also benefits the environment as the use of valuable resources such as raw oil, natural rubber and water can be significantly reduced. Retreading helps to save CO2 emissions, as up to 70 percent less energy is required compared to the production of a new tyre.
“Reclaim material also helps to conserve resources and protect the environment. For example, if 4,000 metric tons of reclaim are used as an ingredient in new rubber compounds, up to 2,400 metric tons of rubber, 1,600 metric tons of carbon black, and 8,000 metric tons of CO2 can be saved in new tyre production.
“Continental defines all materials as sustainable that originate in a closed material cycle, have no harmful impact on humans or the environment, are procured responsibly and are carbon neutral along the supply chain.
“A commercial vehicle tyre consists of seven material components. The rubber compound having by far the highest share contains about 30 percent natural rubber. Natural rubber is essential for excellent tyre functionality. Currently, natural rubber is obtained almost exclusively from the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis. It is our ambition to source all natural rubber from sustainable origins by 2030. For Continental, responsibly sourced natural rubber is a renewable resource with a transparent supply chain which is responsibly sourced through a due diligence mechanism to uphold human rights, minimise environmental impacts, improve communities’ livelihood and productivity, while having a fair and equitable value chain.
“Today, in its unique Taraxagum project, the Tyres business area already produces natural rubber from dandelions, opening up an alternative source of raw material. By way of example, the Urban Taraxagum bicycle tyre is the first series production tyre from Continental to be made using natural rubber obtained from the dandelion plant.”
Since 2018, Continental has been involved in a joint project with the federal German development aid agency GIZ in Indonesian West Kalimantan in Borneo to prevent sustainability risks. Smallholder farmers in the natural rubber sector are trained to grow high-quality raw material in compliance with clearly defined sustainability criteria. The aim is to improve the income of the project participants through higher-quality natural rubber. From July onwards, the first tyres of our mountain bike tyre line Gravity, have been produced with a tread of natural rubber coming from our project.
Continental’s highly qualified experts have been researching innovative sustainable materials such as natural rubber from dandelion for many years. The central aim of Continental’s Taraxagum project is to stop importing natural rubber exclusively from the tropics in the future and to start producing it as close as possible to the tyre plants in order to prevent ongoing deforestation and to reduce CO2 emissions caused by long transport routes.
Any tyre manufacturer has a diverse supply chain, sometimes multiple sources for the same product. To maintain control of its sustainable aims, Continental is working to increase transparency and sustainability along its supply chains. Continental is actively working with competitors and stakeholders in various collaborative industry approaches. For example, as an innovation driver in the natural rubber sector, Continental and partners (Michelin, SMAG) have already introduced the establishment of the joint venture Rubberway for digital risk analysis of the upstream supply chain (Tier 1 - Tier X) in 2019.