Continental has been recognized as one of the 500 most sustainable companies globally for 2024 by Time magazine and the business intelligence platform Statista. The company secured its spot in the ranking after being evaluated using a unique methodology developed by Time and Statista.
A total of 5,000 companies were assessed based on their sustainability strategies and reports, with more than 20 key indicators considered, such as emissions intensity, energy consumption, and the proportion of renewable energy used.
Continental earned a sustainability rating of 61.39 out of a possible 100 points, placing the company in 265th position overall. Notably, within the automotive industry category, Continental ranked among the top 10 companies. It is also one of three tire manufacturers to make the prestigious list, securing second place in this subcategory.
Jorge Almeida, Continental Tires’ Head of Sustainability, expressed the company’s pride in the achievement. He remarked that their significant sustainability efforts were acknowledged through independent rankings. Almeida emphasized Continental’s ongoing commitment to implementing sustainable solutions across the entire value chain while upholding the highest standards of quality and performance.
Sustainability Milestones in Tire Production
Continental Tires has long been recognized for its focus on innovative technologies and sustainability initiatives across its entire production chain. From sourcing eco-friendly materials and developing sustainable designs to producing and recycling end-of-life tires, the company has been pushing the boundaries of environmental responsibility. The Tire sector demonstrated strong performance across all the evaluation criteria set by Time and Statista.
Continental aims to achieve climate-neutral production at all its tire plants by 2040. A significant stride toward this goal was made this year at the company’s Lousado plant in Portugal, where tires are now produced with zero carbon emissions. This was made possible through an electrically powered boiler that generates steam using both on-site solar energy and renewable electricity from the grid.
Reducing Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions
Continental Tires also launched 160 energy-saving projects in 2023, which collectively reduced the company’s annual energy consumption by approximately 150 gigawatt hours. This reduction is equivalent to the energy usage of about 12,500 single-family homes. The company’s efforts to adopt more renewable energy sources and improve thermal insulation resulted in a significant reduction of CO2 emissions, cutting 31,000 tons of carbon emissions in 2023 alone.
Long-Term Sustainability Goals
Looking ahead, Continental is striving to meet ambitious targets by 2050. The company aims to manufacture tires entirely from sustainable materials by that time. By 2030, it hopes to have at least 40 percent of its tire composition made from renewable and recycled materials.