Continental Tire retreads over a million truck and bus tires every year. This helps to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50% as indicated through research by the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT).
Retreaded tires can have up to 85% renewable and recycled materials that offer the same safety, grip, and traction found in new tires. Continental recently marked 120 years of retreading commercial vehicle tires globally.
The first retreading activities within the company can be traced to Hanover 120 years ago. The tire manufacturer purchased a building in Seelze in 1903 for recycling, reclaiming, and processing old rubber.
In 2013, it set up the ContiLifeCycle plant in Stöcken district for retreading tires. This marked a huge milestone in the industry. The plant uses a unique system for recycling rubber and hot-retreading bus tires. This promotes the use of sustainable materials and saves on cost.
About 900,000 bus tires have been retreated in the last 10 years. This has given many Continental tires extended service life. Continental has another retreading facility called Bandvulc which was bought in 2016. This year, the plant based in Ivybridge, Devon was named the second largest in the ContiLifeCycle after Stöcken.