Sustainable Surfaces for Mobility & Transportation

Carbon Neutrality

From emissions to excellence

We as Continental are passionate not only for our business, but especially for the environment. It is our duty and aspiration to create surface solutions that are 100 % carbon neutral. We have already achieved considerable success on this path for our product ranges.
 
The road to carbon neutral products requires efforts in many areas: in raw material feedstock, production processes and energy consumption. As for our product design, the substitution of the classical petrol-based feedstock through bio-sourced, CO₂-sourced, and circular feedstock is key. Bio-based feedstock and bio-degradable products form the perfect base for ideal product life cycles. Our processes are flanked by continuous improvements with regard to the use of possibly critical raw materials and the minimization of solvent use, emissions, and odor.
 

Circular Economy

For many happy returns

Recycling is one of the most common and effective ways of conserving resources. The further development of recycling is circular economy:
This means the use of recycle-based raw materials for the production of our surface materials, as well as the concept to recycle production wastes and the final products at the end of the life span.
But here there are yet some challenges to overcome: Provide recyclates of constantly high quality for example. We have already developed numerous products which have these properties. and still offer the well-known premium performance.
The use of high-quality post-consumer PET sources for the textile backings of our premium surfaces materials is an example for these achievements. With regard to end-of-life recycling, mono-material concepts are realized for both- our surface materials and the final interior parts. This is circular economy at Continental.
 

Unique Product Performance as Enabler

Designed to go the extra mile

Nature shows how it works: every plant and every animal have a unique talent to fit perfectly and harmoniously into the environmental cycle. With a sustainable product design, our experts follow this example and develop continuously innovative surface solutions with unique product performance features. With this, our solutions enable the realization of sustainable vehicle interiors and contribute positively to the vehicle’s eco-balance.
For example: Reduced weight means a reduced carbon footprint in the product itself and also in the energy consumption of a vehicle. Our surfaces are optimized for maximum performance while being lightweight and robust. Another contribution to sustainability is a longer lifecycle, also for high usage applications, especially shared mobility concepts. With our staynu® technology we make surfaces insensitive to mechanical stress, soiling, and repeated use of detergents and offer extremely durable surfaces, thus significantly extending their service life.
 

GWP₁₀₀ Global Warming Potential Index

Parameter for measuring sustainability at product level

A neutrally calculated key figure has been available for some time now to quantify how environmentally friendly a product is: The GWP100 Global Warming Potential Index*.
This index puts a figure on a product’s carbon footprint over a period of 100 years. It takes into account the phases from “cradle to delivery” and disposal or recycling at the end of the product life cycle. 

_{*GWP100 values are calculated according to CT-SSL-GWP-Calculation standard version 02 as carbon dioxide equivalent using the relevant 100-year global warming potential. Evaluation is based on life cycle assessment (LCA) using databases like GaBi. The model is based on the greenhouse gas (GHG) protocol standard and following ISO 14067:2018. Considered life cycle phases: cradle-to-gate (scope 1,2,3). Future more precise calculation will allow higher degree of differentiation and therefore might lead to divergent results.}