Continental's UltraContact NXT Wins Sustainability Award in Automotive 2025

Hanover, Germany, March 27, 2025. Continental's UltraContact NXT has won the Sustainability Award in Automotive 2025 in the category "Technology - Materials / Raw Materials, Recycling". The international management consultancy Arthur D. Little and the German automotive technology magazines of the ATZ / MTZ Group honored Continental for its most sustainable series tire to date. Depending on the tire size, the UltraContact NXT has a share of up to 65 percent renewable, recycled and ISCC PLUS mass balance certified materials.

"With the UltraContact NXT, Continental shows that a combination of outstanding sustainability and first-class performance works," said Maria Hanczuch, Head of Product Management for Passenger Tires in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Continental, who accepted the award in Berlin. "We see the Sustainability Award in Automotive not only as an honor, but also as an incentive to consistently pursue our sustainability strategy."

Every year, the management consultancy Arthur D. Little and the ATZ / MTZ Group present the Sustainability Award in Automotive. The jury recognizes outstanding examples of sustainable solutions. The selection and awarding of the prizes is based on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, which address key global challenges in the areas of ecology, society and governance. The selection is made by a panel of experts from science, practice, associations, media and NGOs.

Continental launched the UltraContact NXT in summer 2023. With up to 65 percent renewable, recycled and mass balance certified materials, the tire combines a high level of sustainable materials with maximum safety and performance.

All 19 dimensions have the best rating in the EU tire label (“A”) in the areas of rolling resistance, wet braking and exterior noise. The special performance of the UltraContact NXT was recently demonstrated in this year's test of sustainable and fuel-saving summer tires by auto motor und sport (issue 07/25), in which the Continental tire took first place and thus received the test rating “outstanding”.

The UltraContact NXT contains up to 32 percent renewable materials. These include resins based on residual materials from the paper and wood industries and silica from the ash of rice husks. Up to five percent is recycled material, such as recycled steel or polyester from recycled PET bottles, which often ends up in incinerators or landfills. Continental also uses up to 28 percent ISCC PLUS mass balance certified materials. These are sustainable synthetic rubber and carbon black made from biobased, bio-circular and/or circular feedstock.

UltraContact NXT has already won several awards since its launch, including the Sustainability Award at the Swiss Automotive Show Innovation Awards 2023, the International Design Award 2023, the German Innovation Award 2024 and the CLEPA Innovation Award 2024.