Continental presents new series tire made with up to 65% sustainable materials

Continental presents its most sustainable series tire to date, the UltraContact NXT. With up to 65% renewable, recycled and mass balance certified materials, it combines a high share of sustainable materials with maximum safety and performance.

The company is one the first manufacturers to launch a tire with both a high share of sustainable materials and maximum EU tire-label performance in volume production. All 19 sizes available will carry the highest possible rating (“A”) of the EU tire label in rolling resistance, wet braking, and exterior noise. The UltraContact NXT is available for tire dealers in Europe in July. 

UltraContact NXT is made of up to 65% share of renewable, recycled and ISCC PLUS mass balance certified materials.

Depending on its tire size, the UltraContact NXT is made from up to 65% renewable, recycled and mass balance certified materials. Renewable materials stand up to 32%. The proportion of recycled materials is up to 5%. Continental also sourced an amount of up to 28% ISCC PLUS mass balance approach certified materials from bio, bio-circular and/or circular feedstock.

Renewable materials account for up to 32% of the UltraContact NXT. This includes resins based on residual materials from the paper and wood industries. Used in tires, resins allow highly flexible compounds to improve the material’s grip.

The Ultra Contact NXT contains silicate from the ash of rice husks. Rice husks are an agricultural waste product which may be processed into silica through a new, less energy consuming process. Silica helps to optimize characteristics such as grip, rolling resistance and tire life.

All sizes of the tires feature high EU tire label rating in rolling resistance, wet braking, and exterior noise.

As in every tire, natural rubber is a key material of the UltraContact NXT. It remains indispensable as it ensures the highest tire performance properties because of its elevated level of strength and durability.

The special logo “contains recycled materials” on the sidewall of the UltraContact NXT underlines the use of recycled materials in this tire line. The share of recycled material stands at up to 5%. It includes recycled rubber material, which comes from mechanically processed end-of-life tires.

In addition, Continental is using recycled steel in the UltraContact NXT. The already presented innovative ContiRe.Tex technology has also been adopted for the UltraContact NXT. It generates high-performance polyester fibers used to reinforce the tire carcass through recycling PET bottles, which otherwise would have ended up in incinerators or landfills.

With the ContiRe.Tex technology, the company has developed a more energy-efficient and eco-friendly alternative that allows it to recycle between nine and fifteen plastic bottles for each tire, depending on the tire size.