Continental concept tire uses 43% recycled materials in EU circularity project
Continental has built a concept tire with 43 percent recycled materials, proving sustainability and performance can coexist in the EU-funded ZEvRA project for electric vehicles.
- 43%
- >80%
- 28%
- 40%
What Happened
Continental has developed a concept tire containing around 43 percent recycled materials for the EU-funded ZEvRA project, which stands for 'Zero Emission Electric Vehicles Enabled by Harmonized Circularity.' The two-year project, concluding in 2026, aims to optimize the circular economy of electric vehicles across the entire value chain. Continental is the only tire manufacturer among the project's 28 partners. The concept tire achieves the highest rating on the EU rolling resistance label, demonstrating that sustainability and performance can coexist.
“Circular materials can help save resources and energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They are key to making mobility more sustainable. 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.”
- recycled tall oil
- steel
- rubber from end-of-life tires
- polyester fibers made from recycled PET bottles
- recovered carbon black from pyrolysis
- alternative silica made with foundry sand (rSand)
43%percent
Renewable materials account for 13% and mass-balance-certified materials for 25%, bringing the total from recycled, renewable or mass-balance-certified sources to more than 80%.
Polyester casings made from recycled PET bottles used in selected passenger-car tires.
Recovered carbon black introduced at Korbach site in all newly produced solid rubber tires; UltraContact NXT launched with up to 65% renewable, recycled and mass-balance-certified materials.
Share of purchased renewable and recycled production materials in Continental's tire portfolio reached 28 percent.
ZEvRA project concludes.
Target of at least 40 percent recycled/renewable materials in the tire portfolio.
Continental emphasizes the need for reliable regulatory frameworks to scale recycling technologies. This includes standard European-wide definitions for recycled materials and clear criteria for when processed substances are classified as recycled raw materials. The company also calls for technological openness, resilient supply chains, and internationally coordinated procedures for material flow allocation. Insights from the concept tire will guide further development, focusing on industrial availability and processing of recycling materials and scaling of manufacturing processes.
“The next step is to establish innovative recycling technologies on an industrial scale and set up closed material flows. This is essential to accelerate the transformation to a resource- and climate-friendly circular economy. A standardized approach to calculation and reporting should be developed through close dialogue between policymakers and stakeholders. If implemented through regulation, it m”
Previously from Continental
Continental has been reinforcing its sustainability credentials. In July 2026, it earned 84 points in the EcoVadis Sustainability Rating, placing it in the top 5 percent of assessed companies and receiving a gold medal.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Continental's official releases.
Why this matters
Tires are among the hardest products to make circular because they must balance safety and performance. This concept tire shows that high recycled content can meet strict European efficiency standards, pointing toward more sustainable tires for electric vehicles. The project also highlights the need for common EU definitions and regulations so recycled materials can be trusted and scaled.
Terms in This Story
- Pyrolysis
- A process that heats materials in the absence of oxygen to break them down into reusable components.
- Recovered carbon black (rCB)
- Carbon black reclaimed from end-of-life tires, which can replace virgin carbon black in new tires.
- Mass-balance-certified materials
- Materials tracked through a chain-of-custody method that allocates recycled or renewable content to specific products.
- Rolling resistance label
- An EU label rating a tire's energy efficiency; lower rolling resistance means better fuel economy.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.