Continental is styling itself as a “pioneer in innovation” by accelerating the evolution of its sustainability concepts into production tyres. The manufacturer is using silica from rice husk ash, carbon black from end-of-life tyres, and polyester from recycled PET in series tyres already, backing up head of sustainability Jorge Almeida’s maxim that “Sustainable innovations belong on the road and not in a showroom.” The UltraContact NXT car tyre, launched in 2023, is the current apex of this strategy, its most sustainable production tyre to date. Conti innovated the use of silica from agricultural waste, polyester from recycled PET and other renewable and recyclable materials from 2021 with the Conti GreenConcept concept tyre. Many of these technologies have subsequently been used in its series tyres. Overall, Conti says this underscores its claim to be “the most progressive manufacturer in the tyre industry when it comes to sustainability.”