Conti targets carbon-neutrality, ‘emission-free’ vehicles  

Hanover, Germany – Continental AG has adopted an ambitious sustainability strategy that will see the German group becoming 100% carbon neutral, emissions-free and ‘circularised’ within 30 years. 

Described by the group as “one of the most comprehensive sustainability roadmaps in the vehicle supplier industry,” the strategy includes the launch of an ‘emission-free vehicles programme’ by as early as 2022.

Targeting carbon-neutral cars, buses, trains and other vehicles, the programme covers production processes as well as upstream stages and recycling at the end-of-use, Continental announced 4 Dec.

As part of the wider plan, the Hanover-based group aims to achieve “100% carbon neutrality, 100% emission-free mobility and industry, a 100% circular economy and 100% responsible value chains – all by no later than 2050.”

Breaking down the details of the strategy, Continental said that, as of 2020, all electricity procured by the group will be from renewable sources – with all production processes to be carbon-neutral by 2040.

And, by 2050, Continental aims to be carbon-neutral across its entire business, “from one end of the value chain to the other.”

“With our ambitious sustainability roadmap, we are decisively pursuing the transformation to a sustainable economy,” said Dr. Ariane Reinhart, executive board member for human relations and sustainability at Continental.

This, said Reinhart, was a “decisive benchmark” for the entire mobility industry and established a framework for Conti and its partners. 

“Sustainability has long been one of the key drivers of innovation at Continental, but now we are taking a major step forward and making it an integral part of our strategy,” she added. 

Commenting on the carbon neutral for emission-free vehicles programme, Dr. Steffen Schwartz-Höfler, head of sustainability at Continental, said the initiative bridges the gap between emission-free mobility and carbon neutrality.

“Emission-free mobility with zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles… must also mean carbon-neutral mobility,” he said. 

Schwartz-Höfler went on to describe the process as a combination of sprint and marathon.

“It is a sprint in the sense that the entire emission-free vehicles business must be made carbon-neutral across the globe, and a marathon in view of the technological developments required to support the rapidly growing future market of emission-free mobility,” he explained.