Continental introduces greener tires in push for more sustainable supply chain

FRANKFURT, Germany — Continental AG today debuted its greenest tire, as the German parts supplier and tire maker looks to meet environmental targets set by its customers, governments and itself.

Continental's UltraContact NXT tire is made of up to 65 percent sustainable materials, the highest proportion of any of its tire models in production. Those materials include renewable and recycled materials such as plastic bottles and silicate made from the ashes of rice husks, according to the company.

The tire comes nearly two years after Continental showed off a green concept tire that featured many of the same renewable sources as the production series UltraContact NXT. It signals the company's efforts to bring sustainable products to the market, Continental CEO Nikolai Setzer said.

"This tire shows we have concepts, and we bring them into production with the best ratings on the technology side, as well," Setzer said during a news conference in Frankfurt.

The tire's debut comes as Continental and other auto suppliers come under intense pressure from automakers and governments to become greener. Many automakers have set aggressive targets to reduce their carbon footprints, goals that hinge in large part on whether they can get their suppliers to cut back on emissions and use more sustainable materials.

"For OEMs to reach their sustainability targets, they need more sustainable tires moving forward," Setzer said.

By 2030, Continental plans to have its tires comprised of more than 40 percent recycled and renewable materials, up from between 15 and 20 percent today, Setzer said. By 2050, the company expects its tires to be made entirely of green materials.

The latest tire will first be sold at European dealerships in July. Beyond that, Setzer said the company is open to supplying automakers with the tire for use on new vehicles.

"We have not targeted this yet because we wanted to be fast to introduce it," he said. "But for sure, it could be an [original equipment] tire at some point. There's nothing against that."