German tyre manufacturer Continental has introduced what it says is the brand’s most sustainable tyre series to date, the UltraContact NXT. Continental says that the tyres comprise of up to 65 per cent of renewable, recycled, and mass-balance-certified materials and will go on sale in Europe in July. The company says that it is the first manufacturer to produce a tyre with a high proportion of sustainable materials that also meets the top EU tyre-label criteria in rolling resistance, wet braking, and exterior noise.
Continental says up to 65 per cent of materials in the UltraContact NXT are renewable, recycled or sourced through sustainable means.
Continental says that renewable materials account for up to 32 per cent of the raw material used. This includes resins derived from residual materials from the paper and wood industries as well as silica obtained from the ash of rice husks. The tyres also comprise of up to five per cent recycled rubber obtained through the mechanical processing of end-of-life tyres. The tyres also feature the use of high-performance polyester derived from recycled PET bottles along with featuring the use of recycled steel for reinforcement.
The company says that a further 28 per cent of the tyre’s composition is mass balance certified materials such as sustainable synthetic rubber and carbon black.
Continental says the UltraContact NXT has been designed for both electric and combustion engine vehicles and can be used in a range of models such as the Volkswagen ID.3 and Golf, Mercedes-Benz EQA, Tesla Model 3, Audi Q4 e-tron, Skoda Octavia and many more.
Continental says that it is targeting using 100 per cent sustainable materials in its tyres by the year 2050. Building up to this stage it is targeting using 40 per cent renewable or recycled materials in its tyres by 2030.
