When Continental A.G. was born 150 years ago, phrases like "circular economy" and "renewable fuel technology" were unheard of, and there was little thought to the finality of raw materials that are mined.
Now companies large and small are addressing sustainability—whether the engine powering the change is customer-, market- or conscience-driven, or some combination thereof.
"Continental has already made significant progress toward its ambitious goal of becoming the most progressive tire company with regard to ecological and social responsibility by the year 2030," Henry Schniewind, head of external communications for Conti's tire segment, told Rubber News earlier this year. "As an initial step in this direction, our company's zero-emission mobility business is on track to becoming completely carbon-neutral as of 2022.
"This is an important milestone on the road to becoming fully carbon-neutral, and will also help Continental's customers to meet their own decarbonization targets."
Throughout the 21 business units within Continental A.G., company-wide goals include becoming 100-percent carbon-neutral by 2050; 100-percent emissions-free across the industry from nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxides by 2050; achieving a 100-percent circular economy by 2050; and achieving a 100-percent responsible value chain, as far as sourcing raw materials, by 2050.
As a producer of 125 million metric tons of carbon annually throughout its supply chain, the goals are lofty—and entirely possible, Conti said.
"By collaborating with young start-ups and university institutes, we hope to give a boost to the world of materials, both for the production and recycling of our products," said Ran Escher, responsible for partnership management at Conti. "We are very excited to see what solutions the participating teams come up with in the coming weeks."
The tire segment and the ContiTech division (Continental A.G.'s industrial business unit) already have seen sustainability successes, with a focus on hydrogen fuel cells, green tire technologies, climate-friendly thermal management systems that increase the range of electric and hybrid vehicles, and the refurbishment of air spring systems.
Continental also provides retreading solutions for truck tires to protect scarce resources, like natural rubber.
"For our tire colleagues, natural rubber is a precious resource," Biensfeld said. "Unique recycling technologies enable the return of rubber from worn tires to the production process for new tires and retreads. We want to eliminate waste. That is why we are continuously expanding our circular economy solutions to maximize the reusability of our tires and of all materials used for their production."
Biensfeld said the notion of "co-creation" is a core concept at Continental, one that INAM embraces as well.
"We always strive to find partners who provide insights on emerging technologies, industries and trends," he said. "Therefore, sustainable material solutions are part of Continental's comprehensive sustainability road map. In other words, effective circular solutions for polymeric materials substantially contribute to Continental's sustainability road map and are key objectives within these new challenges.
"We are excited to find new partners to accompany us on this great journey."