Continental Develops Concept Tire With More Than 40% Recycled Materials for EU Project

Photo Credit: Continental

According to company reports, Continental has developed a concept passenger-car tire containing around 43% recycled materials as part of the EU-funded ZEvRA project, demonstrating the potential to increase recycled content in safety-critical products while maintaining performance requirements.

The two-year ZEvRA project, which stands for “Zero Emission Electric Vehicles Enabled by Harmonized Circularity,” is scheduled to conclude in 2026. The project focuses on improving the circularity of electric vehicles across the value chain. Continental is the only tire manufacturer participating in the consortium.

The concept tire incorporates recycled materials including tall oil, steel, rubber recovered from end-of-life tires and polyester fibers made from recycled PET bottles. Continental also uses recovered carbon black (rCB), produced through processes such as tire pyrolysis, as well as recycled sand-derived silica.

Despite its high recycled content, the concept tire achieved the highest rating under the EU tire rolling-resistance labeling system. Continental said the result demonstrates that circular materials can be incorporated into tires while maintaining the safety, efficiency and durability requirements of a technically complex product.

“Circular materials can help save resources and energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Andreas Topp, head of Platform Development and Industrialization for passenger-car tires at Continental. He said the concept tire demonstrates what can currently be achieved with recycled and renewable materials while providing a basis for further development.

The project is also being used to assess the industrial requirements for scaling recycling technologies. Continental said further work will focus on the availability and processing of suitable recycled materials and on scaling manufacturing processes to increase recycled content in future tire generations.

Continental cited recovered carbon black as an example of a recycling technology already being used commercially. Since 2023, rCB has been used at the company’s Korbach site in newly produced solid rubber tires, which are primarily used on forklift trucks. The company also uses recycled sand residues from foundries to produce an alternative silica material.

Regulatory conditions remain a key issue for wider adoption, according to Continental. The company called for harmonized European definitions of recycled materials, clear criteria for classifying processed substances as recycled raw materials, and regulatory approaches that remain open to different recycling technologies.

Jorge Almeida, head of Sustainability for Continental’s Tires group sector, said the next step is to establish recycling technologies at industrial scale and develop closed material flows. He also called for standardized calculation and reporting methods developed through cooperation between policymakers and industry stakeholders.

Beyond the 43% recycled-material share, about 13% of the ZEvRA concept tire consists of renewable raw materials and another 25% comprises mass-balance-certified materials. Continental said this means more than 80% of the tire’s materials come from recycled, renewable or mass-balance-certified sources.

The company has been increasing the use of alternative raw materials in its tire portfolio. Selected passenger-car tires have used polyester casings made from recycled PET bottles since 2022. Its UltraContact NXT, launched in 2023, contains up to 65% renewable, recycled and mass-balance-certified materials.

Continental said renewable and recycled production materials accounted for 28% of purchased production materials in its tire portfolio in 2025. The company aims to increase that share to at least 40% by 2030.

Source: Continental

SUNSHINE Spotlight: Continental’s ZEvRA concept tire demonstrates the potential to raise recycled content in tires while highlighting the need to scale recycling technologies, secure material supply and establish consistent regulatory standards.