Continental is prioritizing the use of renewable and recycled materials in its tire production, and is using innovative alternatives, such as cooking oil, to realize its targets.
While the share of renewable and recycled materials used by Continental averaged 26% in 2024, the tire manufacturer is aiming to increase this by 2-3% by the end of the year and expects to reach “at least 40%” by 2030, with an increased focus on rubber and resins from a range of sustainable sources.
“We’re closing the loop: Continental is ramping up its commitment to a circular economy and mapping out its path for the future,” said Jorge Almeida, head of Sustainability at Continental Tires.
“Innovative solutions enable us to use more sustainable raw materials, such as synthetic rubber made from used cooking oil or resins based on certified renewable feedstocks originally derived from vegetable oil.”
Synthetic rubber alternatives
Continental mainly uses two categories of rubber – natural rubber and synthetically produced rubber, each offering specific technological benefits for specific tire components.
Natural rubber – traditionally used in tire production – is used in the treads of car and truck tires, where the rubber needs to be hard-wearing. Its properties include its impact resistance and durability, thanks to the strain-induced crystallization inherent in naturally grown rubber. This unique feature of natural rubber cannot yet be reproduced artificially.
Synthetic rubber is incorporated into the tread of car tires in addition to natural rubber because of its superior braking performance and rolling resistance. Continental is increasingly using synthetic rubber derived from more sustainable sources, such as pyrolysis oil made from end-of-life tires or cooking oil. The company sources the raw materials for sustainable synthetic rubber from suppliers such as Synthos and TotalEnergies Cray Valley.
Circular resins
There are special resins for almost every rubber compound that enable a balance between the elasticity and resilience of the tire. Resins play a crucial role in unlocking rubber compounds’ optimum performance – improving their wet grip, abrasion resistance and rolling resistance – which in turn reduces the vehicle’s energy consumption. Continental uses circular resins and is working with suppliers to support the development of renewable feedstocks derived from sources such as vegetable oil and used cooking oil.
Sustainable additives
Alongside resins, certain additives also constitute an indispensable part of the tire production process at Continental. These are used to protect rubber during vulcanization against the side effects of heat or oxygen. Continental is the first tire manufacturer to use the ISCC Plus-certified rubber additive TMQ from Lnaxess. According to life cycle assessments, this additive, which is produced from raw materials such as biocircular acetone, has a carbon footprint 30% lower than its conventionally manufactured counterpart. Biocircular acetone is made from waste of biological origin, like recycled cooking oil.
In related news, Prototype tire with 93% sustainable materials proposed by Giti Tire
