Tyre manufacturer, Continental, came together with a selection of partners under the motto, “Turning racing tyres into living space”, to officially open a new basketball court made up of 200 recycled racing tyres from the Extreme E electric racing series.
As a main sponsor of Extreme E, which takes place in the most extreme locations all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Continental aims to give children and young people a lively and sustainable place to play, burn off energy and train.
“These tyres raced in Saudi Arabia, Greenland and Senegal and have now been transformed into a basketball court to help bring young people together and get them excited about sport. Through this initiative and our partnership with Extreme E, we are committed to supporting communities whenever possible and are delighted that these 200 used tyres will live another life, recycled into rubber bricks and constructed into a new basketball court for future generations to enjoy,” said Karel Kucera, Managing Director, Continental Middle East.
The court was created as part of a collaboration between the city of Hanover, property construction company Hanova, the BasKIDball project, the VIA Linden and Serve the City Hannover associations and the SV Linden 07 club, on whose premises the half-court has been built. Elastomer processing company, REGUPOL, handled the transformation of the tyres into rubber paving blocks, and the court was assembled by Hanover-based company, Kretschmer.
Continental’s tyres sector is pursuing a holistic approach to sustainability across all phases of the tyre value chain and has set itself the mission of becoming the most progressive tyre company in terms of environmental and social responsibility by 2030. For Continental, circular economy-based solutions represent an important route to achieving its ambitious goal of carbon neutrality throughout its value chain by 2050 at the latest. To this end, Continental is driving ahead with technologies and processes designed to constantly improve those solutions, including its sustainable alternative to natural rubber, derived from dandelions.
Fans of Extreme E can follow this year’s Saudi Arabian leg of the series from 11-12 March.
Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. In 2021, Continental generated sales of €33.8 billion and currently employs over 190,000 people in 58 countries and markets. On October 8, 2021, the company celebrated its 150th anniversary.
The tyres group sector has 24 production and development locations worldwide. Continental is one of the leading tyre manufacturers with more than 57,000 employees and posted sales of €11.8 billion in 2021 in this group sector. Continental ranks among the technology leaders in tyre production and offers a broad product range for passenger cars, commercial and special-purpose vehicles as well as two-wheelers. Through continuous investment in research and development, Continental makes a major contribution to safe, cost-effective and ecologically efficient mobility. The portfolio of the Tyres sector includes services for the tyre trade and fleet applications, as well as digital management systems for tyres.