Continental advances sustainable operations

Continental, through its group sector ContiTech, is making significant strides toward sustainable operations with the installation of a new photovoltaic (PV) system at its Timișoara production facility in Romania. This move is in line with Continental's broader sustainability ambition, aiming to transform its production facilities into sustainable factories.

The newly installed PV system in Timișoara is expected to generate approximately 930 MWh of emission-free electricity annually. In addition to Timișoara, other locations including Subotica (Serbia), Szeged (Hungary), Wagrowiec (Poland), Weissbach (Germany), Changzhou (China), Kalyani (India), and Chihuahua (Mexico) have already approved PV projects, with installations planned in the coming months. Collectively, these installations are projected to generate 5900 MWh of electricity annually, equivalent to the consumption of 2950 households in Germany.

ContiTech has identified three production facilities—Changzhou (China), Granby (Canada), and Dannenberg (Germany)—as pilot projects for achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. The success of these pilot plants will serve as guidance for other ContiTech plants on implementing measures for carbon-neutral operations by 2040.

Claus-Peter Spille, Senior Vice President Operations at ContiTech, highlighted the unique challenges each production facility faces in achieving green operations and emphasized the pilot projects' role in providing comprehensive guidance on systematic operational environmental management.

Philip Nelles, Member of Continental’s Executive Board for ContiTech, underlined the company's commitment to sustainability as a driving force for innovation, addressing global challenges. Continental has set ambitious sustainability goals for its production sites, including a 20% reduction in energy consumption by 2030, a 95% recovery quota increase, a 2% annual decrease in waste generation, and reductions in water withdrawal relative to sales in high-risk and moderate-risk water regions. These initiatives align with Continental's broader commitment to becoming a green factory by 2040 at the latest.