Continental’s fourth production facility, its off-the-road tyre plant in Korbach, Germany, received International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS accreditation.
The globally recognised certification attests that Continental complies with special documentation requirements for using more sustainable materials. In addition, the transparency and traceability of the raw materials used in the production process are confirmed. The certification of the raw materials enables Continental to ensure seamless traceability of the materials from renewable and recycled sources. For the premium manufacturer, which produces material handling and other tyres in Korbach, this is a further step toward 100% more sustainable materials in its tire products by 2050 at the latest.
The certification focused on compliance with and documentation of certain processes for the mass balance of raw materials. This approach involves mixing fossil, renewable and recycled raw materials in existing systems and processes. The quantities used are tracked along the entire value chain and can thus be allocated proportionately at any time. The mass balance approach enables Continental to successively increase the amount of more sustainable materials in its products. It also ensures that the proportion of certified renewable and recycled materials can be accurately accounted for.
“We want to make our sustainability activities transparent because we want to gradually increase the proportion of renewable and recycled materials in our material handling tyres,” says Klaus Framenau, Head of the Material Handling Tyre business at Continental. “Certifications like ISCC PLUS underline our commitment to making the future of intralogistics even more environmentally friendly.”
The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) was founded in 2010 by a multi-stakeholder initiative and is a leading global certification system for promoting traceable, sustainable, deforestation-free and climate-friendly supply chains. Recognised worldwide, ISCC certifications include sustainable agricultural biomass, biogenic waste and residues, non-biological renewable materials and recycled carbon-based materials. ISCC views developing and implementing various certification standards as a tool to advance its mission of mitigating climate change and bringing greater traceability to global markets and supply chains.
Continental is also working hard to convert as many raw materials as possible to sustainable materials in production. The raw materials that will be used in tyre production in the future include agricultural waste such as rice hull ash, sustainable carbon black, and recycled steel. The certifications of the Continental plants are an important step on Continental’s journey to using more than 40 percent renewable and recycled materials in tires by 2030. By 2050 at the latest, all new Continental tyres will be made from 100 percent sustainable materials.
In addition to passenger car, motorcycle and bicycle tyres, the Continental tyre plant in Korbach also produces super-elastic solid tyres for challenging applications in material handling and intralogistics, such as the SC20+ or CS20+ tyres. With their low rolling resistance, they help reduce energy consumption in intralogistics and increase the range of forklifts, airport vehicles, heavy-duty transport vehicles, side forklifts, platform trucks, and other industrial vehicles. Thanks to modern rubber compounds, Continental’s material-handling tires offer a combination of stability, load capacity, and a long service life, which are important in intralogistics.
