Two awards for Continental dandelion rubber bicycle tyres

Continental has been recognised for its bicycle tyres manufactured with dandelion rubber with a brace of design awards. The Urban Taraxagum has won the prestigious Red Dot Design award, and the E-Bike Design & Innovation Award in the Sustainability & Green category by Focus E-Bike magazine. The two awards recognised different aspects of the tyre. The Red Dot Award lauded the design of the tread of the tyre, based on the cell shape of the dandelion. Meanwhile Focus E-Bike commended the sustainability of rubber extraction from dandelions.

Continental’s Taraxagum project gains momentum

“We are delighted about the two awards,” says Thomas Falke, head of Continental’s business unit Two-Wheel Tyres. “They reflect the particularly successful design and sustainability of our ‘Urban Taraxagum’ bicycle tyre.” In this way, our unique product made in Korbach is actively contributing to environmentally-friendly mobility and thus to greater sustainability.”

“Our dandelion rubber tyres are an important part of our extensive sustainability activities and of the ambitious goal of making our products and production processes as well as our research and development even more sustainable,” adds Claus Petschick, head of sustainability in Continental’s Tyres business area. “Our efforts to cease importing the important rubber material from the tropics, and instead to manufacture it as close as possible to our tyre plants, will make a significant contribution.”

Taraxagum developments recognised

Conti Urban Taraxagum

As far back as March, the ‘Dandelion Bicycle Tyre’ was recognized with the IF Taipei Cycle d&i Gold Award. Last year it received e-bike manufacturer Accell Group’s sustainability award.

Conti’s long-term Taraxagum project aims to supply natural rubber from dandelion plants. This which can be used for the production of two-wheel, passenger car or commercial vehicle tyres as well as other vehicle parts made of natural rubber.

The tyre manufacturer has already produced the first Taraxagum test tyres for passenger cars and trucks. The Urban Taraxagum bicycle tyre is the first production tyre to be manufactured using natural rubber from the dandelion plant. The tyre has been produced in the Continental bicycle tyre plant in Korbach in the German state of Hesse for two years and is available both in-store and online.

Conti received support for the project from the German Bundestag and the European Union. The operational programme of the European Regional Development Fund provided assistance in the 2014-2020 funding period.