Continental unveiled its innovative Conti GreenConcept tyre concept at this year’s IAA MOBILITY in Munich.

This conceptual study by the premium tyre manufacturer leverages both current and emerging technological approaches to the engineering of sustainable tyres for passenger cars, as yet another example of Continental’s wide-ranging activities in pursuit of sustainability.

GreenConcept tyre

The goal of Continental’s integrative and sustainable concept: minimising resource consumption throughout every stage of the tyre’s value chain. As such, the study addressed everything, from the sourcing and procurement of raw materials, on to the various stages of production and even on to ways of extending the tyre’s service life.

The result: a tyre that consists of a particularly high percentage of traceable, renewable, and recycled materials, has an innovative, lightweight design that conserves valuable resources, and an extended service life thanks to a renewable tread.

“Conti GreenConcept underscores our commitment to becoming the most progressive tyre company in terms of environmental and social responsibility by the year 2030, and this ambition applies to every single stage in the value chain,” commented David O’Donnell, responsible for Continental’s global tyre original equipment business.

Over 50 percent sustainable raw materials used

Of all raw materials used in the making of Conti GreenConcept, more than half are either from renewable sources or recycled. For all of its tyre production plants, Continental is aiming to fully transition to sustainable raw materials by no later than 2050.

Conti GreenConcept also consists of 35 percent renewables. Among the bio-materials used are natural rubber from dandelions, silicate from the ash of rice husks, vegetable oils and resins, all leading to a significant reduction in materials from crude oil.

In addition to natural rubber, Continental’s global tyre-production plants are already making widespread use of various other materials such as recycled rubber or vegetable oils, which has been a top priority, not only to use sustainable materials in making its tyres, but also to further the cultivation and processing of such materials.

Rollout of “ContiRe. Tex” technology: polyester from recycled PET bottles

Conti GreenConcept also consists of 17 percent recycled materials, namely reclaimed steel and recovered carbon black, plus – in an industry first – polyester from recycled plastic bottles for the tyre’s casing.

Continental is planning the gradual rollout of its ContiRe. Tex technology by 2022, thus paving the way for the manufacture of tyres using polyester yarn from recycled PET bottles.

The recycling process does this without the usual intermediate chemical processing steps, and the resulting polyester yarn is then made functionally capable of handling the high mechanical forces to which tyres are subjected.

Another part of the Conti GreenConcept sustainability equation is the special mix of materials made possible by COKOON – a technology for the eco-friendly bonding of textile reinforcements with rubber compounds, as developed by Continental in partnership with Kordsa.

Smart vehicle concept based on a resource-saving, lightweight design

Besides its high percentage of renewable and recycled materials, Conti GreenConcept also raises the bar in terms of innovative lightweight technology with the tyre weighing in at just 7.5 kilogrammes, making it up to 40 percent lighter than conventional tyres.

Thanks to its lightweight design, Conti GreenConcept is particularly destined for use in next-gen smart vehicles, equipped with sensors and resource-saving drives. By predictively monitoring their surroundings, the sensors in such vehicles give drivers the input they need for anticipatory driving, which in turn makes it feasible to use increasingly lightweight and resource-friendly tyres.

Even lower rolling resistance thanks to materials optimisation

Conti GreenConcept’s specially designed tread offers a greater margin of safety than conventional tyres with the same tread depth. The materials used in the tread were also optimised, thus further reducing the tyre’s weight and, in turn, lowering rolling resistance.

In-house measurements reveal that Conti GreenConcept’s rolling resistance is to about 25 percent lower than class “A” – i.e. the best possible rating – under the EU Tyre Label system. Low rolling resistance means lower energy consumption, thus leading to a measurable improvement in terms of environmental impact.

Special tread strip capable of multiple renewals

The natural rubber used for the Conti GreenConcept tread compound is 100 percent Taraxagum natural rubber. As a special capability, the tyre concept can be retreaded multiple times, with a minimal investment in terms of both time and materials.

“Conti GreenConcept delivers maximum performance in terms of both flexibility and sustainability, enabling modern mobility to truly hit the streets,” commented O’Donnell.

Moreover, a latest-generation Continental sensor inside the tyre, makes predictive driving possible by means of continuous monitoring of temperature, pressure and tread depth. This gives drivers added input so they can make well-informed choices, thus promoting resource-friendly driving.

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Prepared by Shane Leonard