Continental uses more recycled PET and recycled steel in its tires

Continental is integrating more renewable and recycled materials into its tire production. The tire manufacturer is motivating its suppliers to increasingly develop and provide sustainable materials to manufacture tires. While Continental’s share of renewable and recycled materials in tire production averaged 26 percent in 2024, the company’s goal is to increase this figure to at least 40 percent within the next five years.

A major focus is on identifying and introducing sustainable alternatives for raw materials that are used today to reinforce tires – in other words, materials that assure dimensional stability and performance over the tire’s lifetime. These are primarily made of steel and textiles, which make up around 18 percent of the materials used in passenger-car tires.

In commercial vehicles or specialty tires, this share can be even higher. Continental is expanding its use of more sustainable materials, including recycled steel and polyester yarns made from recycled PET bottles. More sustainable manufacturing methods, such as those used in COKOON adhesion technology, are also being introduced in tire production. Furthermore, the company is using innovative alternatives across all raw material groups, such as synthetic rubber from used cooking oil, resins from bio-based waste materials and silica from the ashes of rice husks.

“We are not reinventing the wheel – but we are reinventing the tire, with more sustainable materials and more environmentally compatible production processes,” says Dr. Matthias Haufe, head of Material Development and Industrialization at Continental Tires. “It’s not just about the rubber itself. We also focus on the materials that give the rubber its shape and make tires stable and safe. Recycled steel and polyester yarn made from recycled PET bottles are important for more sustainable tire production. Our goal is to use at least 40 percent renewable and recycled materials in our tires within five years. Every alternative material brings us an important step closer to this goal.”