Press Release

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Dandelion Rubber from Continental Nominated as One of the Top 3 Projects at the GreenTec Awards 2014

  • On February 25, 2014, the 50-strong expert jury will choose the winners from the three finalists in each of the 14 categories – award ceremony to take place on May 4, 2014, in Munich
  • Continental sees huge potential for dandelion as a crop plant in Europe
  • Construction is under way on the pilot facility for industrial production of dandelion rubber

Hanover, February 19, 2014.Leading tire manufacturer Continental and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME) in Münster have been nominated at the GreenTec Awards 2014 for their joint development project "Rubin – rubber that can be industrialized and is made from dandelion plants for tire production" as one of the top three projects in the "Automobility" category. This category recognizes technological innovations, eco-friendly mobility concepts, and mobility services in particular. In the process, the nominated projects are judged not only on the results achieved to date, but also on their future potential. The GreenTec Awards are Europe's biggest environmental and business awards and have been presented since 2008. On February 25, 2014, the 50 renowned experts making up the jury will decide on the podium positions for the three finalists in each of the 14 different categories. The award ceremony will take place in Munich on May 4, 2014, at the start of IFAT, the world's leading trade fair for water, sewage, waste, and raw materials management.

"We are pleased about this excellent response to our dandelion rubber project and its nomination as a project in the top three. Continental is investing in this promising material development and production project because we are convinced that it will enable us to further improve our tire production in the long run," said Nikolai Setzer, who is responsible for the Tire division within Continental's Executive Board. "This is because the production of rubber from dandelion roots is far less weather-dependent than production from rubber trees. Furthermore, the new system is so undemanding in terms of agricultural requirements that it opens up a whole new potential – particularly for areas of land in Europe that are currently uncultivated. By growing the crops much closer to our production sites, we can also significantly reduce the burden on the environment and our outlay for logistics." This crop can be grown in numerous countries in Europe, including Germany. The first test tires featuring rubber compounds made from dandelion rubber are set to be tested on public roads during the course of next year.

In recent years, with the aid of state-of-the-art growing methods and optimized cultivation systems, it has been possible to produce high-grade natural rubber from dandelion roots in the laboratory. A pilot facility that produces natural rubber by the ton is currently under construction. Continental is expecting a long-term increase in demand for natural rubber that corresponds with the expected growth of the global tire market. "With this dandelion project, we have taken a huge step forward on the path to our long-term goal of making the production of tires for cars, trucks, and bicycles, as well as specialist tires, even more sustainable," explains Dr. Andreas Topp, who looks after the cooperation project as the head of Material and Process Development as well as Industrialization for Tires at Continental. "We expect to be able to produce large amounts of dandelion rubber with at least equivalent performance properties to conventional rubber harvested from rubber trees. And, as a result, we will put ourselves in a position where we are much less dependent on the annual harvest situation in the subtropical growing regions," adds Topp. Furthermore, a natural rubber tree requires up to seven years before the first pieces of useable rubber can be harvested. By contrast, natural rubber from dandelion plants could be harvested several times a year without any waiting time at all.

Continental AG
With provisional sales of around €33.3billion in 2013, Continentalis among the leading tire manufacturers, automotive suppliers, and industrial partners worldwide. As a supplier of tires, technical elastomers, brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, and vehicle electronics, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has more than 177,000 employees in 46 countries.

Tire division
As one of the world's leading tire manufacturers with more than 42,000employees, the Tire division achieved sales of more than €9.7 billion in 2012. Today, the division has 22 production and development locations worldwide. The broad product range and continuous investments in R&D make a major contribution to cost-effective and ecologically efficient mobility.

Passenger Car and Light Truck Tires
Continental is one of Europe's leading passenger car and light truck tire manufacturers and is the world's fourth-largest passenger car and light truck tire manufacturer in the original equipment and replacement business sectors. The product development focus of the Continental premium brand is to optimize all safety-relevant characteristics, while simultaneously minimizing rolling resistance.

Sponsorship
Continental's Tire division is an official sponsor of the German DFB Cup, Major League Soccer in the U.S.A. and Canada, the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and UEFA EURO 2016TM in France.

Media Database

Contact:
Alexander Bahlmann
Head of PR
Passenger Car and Light Truck Tires
Continental AG
Tire division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 511 938 2615
Fax: +49 (0) 511 938 2455

/ Klaus Engelhart
Press Spokesman
Passenger Car and Light Truck/Two-Wheel Tires
Germany/Austria/Switzerland
Continental AG
Tire division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 511 938 2285
Fax: +49 (0) 511 938 2455

Your contact:

Klaus Engelhart, tel.: + 49 (0) 511 938 2285