Continental’s tire plant in Hefei, China, has been awarded ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) Plus certification in recognition of its compliance with specific sustainability standards and the transparency and traceability of raw materials used in production.
The plant, located in the Nangang Tech Park of Hefei’s High-Tech Zone, was inaugurated in September 2009 and today covers a total area of 667,000m2. Continental has been producing tires for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles for the Chinese market and other markets in the Asia-Pacific region since 2011. The tire plant in Hefei has also been producing two-wheel tires since 2012.
The ISCC Plus certification is a voluntary certification system applicable to the bio-economy and circular economy that certifies non-conventional raw materials for use in various industries, including foodstuffs, animal feed, chemicals, plastics, packaging and textiles. Key criteria for certification include the traceability of raw materials, adherence to environmental standards, protection of ecosystems, compliance with labor and human rights, and the promotion of sustainable economic development.
“The certification proves the high quality of all of our work processes, from the procurement of certified raw materials to the transportation of the finished tire,” said Xiaoji Wang, head of the Hefei plant. “Our Hefei plant meets the strict certification requirements of ISCC Plus, including raw material traceability and compliance with environmental standards. This certification underlines our commitment to sustainable processes along the entire value chain.”
The certification process for Continental involved fulfilling and documenting raw material mass balancing procedures. The mass-balance approach integrates fossil, renewable and recycled raw materials within existing systems, tracking their quantities along the value chain to ensure accurate allocation. This method enables Continental to gradually increase the proportion of sustainable materials in its products.
Continental has set a goal to use more than 40% renewable and recycled materials in its tires by 2030 and to achieve 100% sustainable materials in its tire products by 2050. The ISCC Plus certification for the Hefei plant, along with the tire plant in Lousado, Portugal, demonstrates its progress toward these sustainability targets.
“We are increasing the proportion of renewable and recyclable materials in our tires. We use the principle of mass balance to enable sustainable materials and technologies to ramp-up, while generating the needed transparency and accountability regarding our progress. This is confirmed by the internationally recognized ISCC Plus certification,” said Jorge Almeida, head of sustainability tires at Continental. “Our aim is to gradually roll out the mass-balance approach to all our tire plants worldwide.”
The company is working to incorporate more sustainable raw materials into its production processes and says potential future materials include agricultural waste such as rice husk ash, rubber derived from dandelions, recycled rubber and PET bottles.
