Continental expands circular tire link-up with Pyrum Innovations

Hanover, Germany – Continental has signed an agreement with German waste tire pyrolysis start-up Pyrum Innovations to further expand its circular economy efforts in the tire industry.

As part of the deal, Continental's tire waste disposal subsidiary, Reifen-Entsorgungsgesellschaft (REG), will begin supplying end-of-life (ELT) tires made by the manufacturer to Pyrum for recycling, said Conti in a 14 March statement.

The deliveries, it said, will start as early as March and will aim to further optimise and expand the recycling of ELTs with the long-term goal of developing a ‘closed-loop’ recycling concepts for tires.

The recent agreement builds on Continental’s earlier investment in Pyrum, when it acquired a minority stake in the start-up in September last year.

Through collaboration with Pyrum, the German tire maker aims to establish a long-term circular economy concept, with the target of producing 'high-quality recovered carbon black' for use in the production of new tires.

"In Pyrum we have found a partner who has developed a particularly efficient pyrolysis process,” said Andreas Topp, head of materials, and process development & industrialisation at Continental Tires.

“Our goal is to recover valuable materials and high-performance raw materials on an industrial scale in the future," he added.

The recent collaboration is part of Continental's ambitious sustainability goals which include the production of tires using 100% sustainable materials by 2050 “at the latest”.