Continental develops concept tire containing over 40 percent recycled materials

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Continental develops concept tire containing over 40 percent recycled materials

August 26, 2026

RubberWorld

Hanover, Germany – As part of the EU-funded ZEvRA project, Continental has developed a concept tire made from around 43 percent recycled materials. The concept tire highlights the potential of innovative material approaches. It also demonstrates the need for a reliable framework when adopting recycling technologies on an industrial scale.

“Circular materials can help save resources and energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They are key to making mobility more sustainable,” says Dr. Andreas Topp, head of Platform Development and Industrialization for passenger-car tires at Continental. “We have extensive experience in developing high-performance materials from renewable and recycled sources. Our concept tire shows what is technically possible today – while serving as a catalyst for the innovations of tomorrow,” he adds.

The project name ZEvRA stands for “Zero Emission Electric Vehicles Enabled by Harmonized Circularity.” The two-year EU project that will conclude in 2026 is aimed at optimizing the circular economy of electric vehicles along the entire value chain. Continental is the only tire manufacturer in the consortium.

Tires consist of numerous high-performance raw materials which are precisely balanced to ensure safety, efficiency and longevity. These complex technical requirements make circularity particularly challenging. Incorporating a high percentage of recycled materials into a safety-critical product while still meeting high performance standards therefore constitutes a significant step forward. The concept tire demonstrates the compatibility of sustainability and performance, achieving the highest rating for the EU rolling resistance label.

Mission accomplished: concept tire made from high share of physically recycled materials

The ZEvRA concept tire consists of around 43 percent recycled materials, including recycled tall oil, steel, rubber from end-of-life tires and polyester fibers made from recycled PET bottles. Continental also leverages technologies such as pyrolysis, which involves extracting materials like recovered carbon black (rCB) from end-of-life tires so they can be repurposed for another use. Since 2023, recovered carbon black has been employed at the Korbach site in all newly produced solid rubber tires. The tires are fitted primarily on forklift trucks. In addition, sand – which forms as a residue in foundries, for example (rSand) – is used in a recycling process to manufacture an alternative silica variant. Recycling keeps materials in circulation and replaces the need for primary raw materials.

The new concept tire highlights the potential of highly circular tire production. The insights gained from this will form the basis for further development of related materials and technologies at Continental, with a particular focus on industrial availability and processing of suitabl

*Source: Rubber World. For reference only.