Wednesday 8 February 2023

A sustainable slam dunk

A basketball court in Germany has been built using 200 recycled racing tyres.

These tyres were used during the first season of Extreme E’s electric racing series and have now been put to use by Continental Tyres for shooting hoops.

Main sponsor of the competition, Continental has already brought tyres to the sport made of both recycled plastic bottles and waste from agricultural production.

“Turning racing tyres into living space” was the motto of the project in Hanover, which is the first in a new round of sustainable actions Extreme E is looking to integrate into life after the racecourse.

Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, Ali Russell, said: “Over the past two Extreme E season campaigns, it has become clear that both creative thinking and a great deal of ingenuity is required to deliver the solutions necessary to combat the climate crisis. This fantastic initiative certainly achieves that.”

“These tyres raced in Saudi Arabia, Greenland, and Senegal. Now, in the form of a basketball court, they are helping to bring young people together and get them excited about sport. Circularity – in this case the reuse and continued use of tyres – is an important area, and one in which Continental is working hard,” added Continental’s Christian Kötz.