Continental steps up sustainability efforts with cooking oil-based tires

Hanover, Germany – Continental AG has stepped up its sustainability efforts by using synthetic rubber based on recycled cooking oil.

In a 9 Sept statement, the group said it is "prioritising the use of renewable and recycled materials in its tire production," with the share of such materials averaging 26% in 2024.

The German tire maker expects to increase the share of sustainable materials in its tires by 2–3 percentage points this year, with a five-year target of reaching 40%.

As part of this, Continental said it has now introduced a synthetic rubber in its tires made with pyrolysis oil derived from end-of-life tires and used cooking oil.

The group said it sources its sustainable rubber materials from Synthos and TotalEnergies Cray Valley, both of which are using a mass balance approach to valorise sustainable sources.

Furthermore, Continental said it is using "circular resins" in its tires, which help balance elasticity and resilience.

Continental said it is using sustainable resins derived from vegetable oil or used cooking oil, supplied by TotalEnergies Cray Valley.

Elsewhere, the group said it is now the first tire maker to use the ISCC+ certified rubber additive TMQ from Lanxess.

In a separate statement, Lanxess said its Vulkanox HS Scopeblue rubber additive is the more sustainable version of its additive Vulkanox HS (TMQ).

The product protects rubber compounds during vulcanisation from factors such as oxygen and heat.

According to Lanxess, compared to the conventionally manufactured product, the sustainable additive has a 30% lower CO2 footprint.

This is achieved by using bio-circular acetone and renewable energy in production, without changing the overall chemical structure of the additive.