Continental is increasing its use of renewable and recycled materials in tire production. In 2024, these materials accounted for 26% of production. The company expects that figure to rise by two to three percentage points in 2025 and exceed 40% by 2030. Continental aims to maintain high safety and performance standards during this transition.

Carbon black and silica are key components in tire manufacturing. As fillers, they enhance rubber properties such as resistance, grip and braking performance.

Continental sources both materials in part from recycled or renewable sources to reduce the use of raw materials. 

Silica, which improves grip and lowers rolling resistance, can be produced from rice husks, an agricultural byproduct, rather than quartz sand. 

For carbon black, Continental uses three methods: producing it from bio-based sources such as tall oil (a waste product from the paper industry); using recycled materials like pyrolysis oil from end-of-life tires; and recovering carbon black directly from used tires through pyrolysis.

Innovation and Sustainability Drive Greener Truck Tires

“Innovation and sustainability go hand in hand at Continental. Using silica from the ashes of rice husks in our tires shows that we are breaking completely new ground – without compromising on safety, quality or performance,” says Jorge Almeida, head of Sustainability at Continental Tires.

Continental is also using silica derived from rice husk ash across its tire portfolio. The silica is manufactured by companies such as Solvay in Italy. The production method from biomass uses less energy than traditional processes. This supports the circular economy and contributes to a more sustainable supply chain.

Silica has been used in tire rubber compounds for about 30 years and complements carbon black. It helps reduce braking distances and rolling resistance, which can lower energy use and carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon black can make up as much as 20% of a passenger car tire’s weight. It is critical for the strength and durability of tires. Continental uses different types of carbon black from suppliers such as Orion Engineered Carbons and Tokai Carbon, depending on the specific performance needs of a tire component.

Sustainable carbon black can be made from tall oil or from recycled pyrolysis oil derived from end-of-life tires. In both cases, Continental uses a mass balance approach, replacing a portion of fossil raw materials with alternatives and assigning those proportions to the final product. This allows continued use of existing production processes.

Continental is working with Pyrum Innovations to improve tire recycling through pyrolysis. The process extracts carbon black from used tires for reuse. Currently, the recovered carbon black is used in forklift tire production. The companies are working to expand its use to other tire types while meeting safety and performance requirements.