Continental to further increase recycled content in its tyres

Continental has signed a new decade-long purchase agreement with Pyrum Innovations, a specialist in the thermolysis technology of end-of-life tyres, for particularly high-quality carbon black (rCB) recovered from end-of-life tyres.

Continental says its intentions are to use recovered carbon black in the series production of passenger car tyres in the future.

Carbon black is an important raw material both for tyre production and for the manufacture of other industrial rubber products. The use of carbon black in rubber compounds increases the stability, strength and durability of tyres. Carbon black recovered from end-of-life tyres helps reduce the use of fossil raw materials and CO2 emissions.

In a passenger car tyre from Continental, the soot content, giving the tyre its black colour, is between 15 and 20 per cent, depending on the model. By using recycled carbon black, Continental claims to be one step closer to its goal of using more than 40 per cent renewable and recycled materials in its tyres by 2030.

Continental had already signed a development agreement with Pyrum Innovations in 2022, and since then both companies share the common goal to further optimise and expand the recycling of end-of-life tyres through pyrolysis.

Continental’s tyres already contain recycled materials such as recycled rubber from mechanically processed end-of-life tyres, recycled steel and recycled polyester from PET bottles, which otherwise often end up in incinerators or landfills.

Jorge Almeida, head of sustainability Continental Tires said: “Recycled raw materials are becoming increasingly important in our tyre production. To further increase the circularity of our products, we need to think differently.

“We need to move from an ‘end-of-life’ to an ‘end-of-use’ tyre concept. This means that the end of a tyre’s intended use phase must become the beginning of a new opportunity.

“Together with Pyrum, we are developing highly efficient processes to recycle as many components and materials as possible from an end-of-use tyre back into our production cycle.”