Continental is increasing its use of recycled materials in tyre manufacturing, with more facilities now using polyester fabric made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. This initiative has raised the recycled content in several tyre lines by an average of thee percent. Depending on the tyre size, up to 15 PET bottles can be used in a single tyre, conserving valuable resources.

“Reduce, reuse, recycle – this trio is key to more sustainable tyres “, says Jorge Almeida, Head of Sustainability at Continental Tires.

“Reduce, reuse, recycle – this trio is key to more sustainable tyres. Wherever possible, we use recycled materials while maintaining our highest quality standards,” says Jorge Almeida, Head of Sustainability at Continental Tires. “Our polyester yarn made from recycled PET bottles is just as strong as conventional polyester yarn. This shows that sustainability, performance, and safety go hand in hand at Continental.

The company’s ContiRe.Tex technology, unveiled in late 2021, processes PET bottles that would otherwise go unrecycled. These bottles are spun into high-performance polyester yarn without intermediate chemical treatments, producing materials robust enough to meet the demands of tyre manufacturing.

Since 2022, this technology has been used on a limited scale at Continental’s tyre plants in Lousado, Portugal, and Otrokovice, Czech Republic. Recently, facilities in Korbach, Germany, and Sarreguemines, France, have also adopted recycled PET in series production.

Ambitious sustainability goals

The transition to sustainable materials aligns with Continental’s broader sustainability strategy. The company aims to increase the proportion of renewable and recycled materials in its tyres to over 40% by 2030. By then, all new car and light truck tyres are expected to feature high-performance polyester fibres made entirely from sustainable PET.

At present, an average passenger tyre contains 15–20 percent recycled and renewable materials. By 2050, Continental plans for all its new tyres to be made from 100 percent sustainable materials.

Turning waste into high-quality materials

Continental’s use of recycled PET is part of a broader effort to replace raw materials with sustainable alternatives. Textile fabrics made from recycled polyester enhance the strength, flexibility, and durability of tyres, with performance matching that of materials derived from crude oil.

In addition to recycled PET, Continental is exploring other sustainable materials, including bio-based and chemically recycled PET. Agricultural by-products, such as rice husk ash, rubber from dandelions and recycled rubber, are also being tested for future use.

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Hankook Tire has launched a new brand film titled ‘Rough Terrain’ for its Dynapro SUV tyre line, aimed at the US market. It marks the first Dynapro brand film released in US since 2024. The campaign moves beyond traditional off-road narratives to showcase a broad range of driving environments and everyday moments, both on and off the road.

The film humorously reimagines daily life’s unpredictable situations as ‘rough terrain’, highlighting Dynapro’s versatile performance. It opens with an SUV tackling muddy, rocky trails on Hankook’s Dynapro AT2 Xtreme tyres before shifting to a crowded big-box store parking lot, where a contested space, stray shopping carts and an anxious driver set the scene.

The spot then follows the SUV through family life’s chaotic moments, including an awkward father-daughter gossip session, a coffee spill and the baseball carpool. These scenarios offer a relatable take on rough terrain, emphasising the versatility required for life’s unpredictability while giving the traditional automotive adventure story a fresh twist.

Dynapro tyres are engineered for both off-road and everyday driving. Options include the mud-terrain Dynapro MT2, rugged-terrain Dynapro XT and all-terrain Dynapro AT2 Xtreme, plus the CUV performance Dynapro evo AS, CUV touring Dynapro HPX and highway terrain Dynapro HT2. The film is available on Hankook’s website, social media, YouTube, connected TV and OTT platforms.

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Webfleet, the fleet management arm of Bridgestone, used the IAA Transportation event to introduce its Commercial Trip Monitor, a free online benchmarking tool that assesses how easily vans and trucks move through 32 major European cities. Initial results suggest operating conditions are growing tougher in numerous urban centres.

The monitor refreshes monthly, drawing on anonymised, aggregated commercial vehicle data to track shifts in fleet operating conditions over time. Because it examines repeat business journeys rather than general traffic, it offers operators and city stakeholders a clearer picture of where urban operations are improving or deteriorating. Even minor changes in reach or idling can reduce productivity, raise fuel use and increase emissions.

Two core metrics underpin the platform. The 15-Minute Reach metric shows how far a typical van or truck travels in a fixed quarter-hour, with higher scores indicating greater distance covered. Idling Intensity measures the share of a journey spent stationary with the engine running, where a higher percentage signals more wasted time. Users can rank cities, compare performance and follow trends.

Early 2026 data revealed sharp contrasts. Zaragoza, Apeldoorn and Utrecht posted the strongest average 15-Minute Reach rankings, while Berlin, Paris and Kraków were the most difficult. Poland was the only country where every analysed city improved year-on-year while idling stayed stable or fell. Rome and Milan improved on reach, yet Milan recorded Europe’s highest Idling Intensity at 21 percent, against Paris’s 16 percent. Berlin finished last overall, with Munich, Leipzig and Hamburg covering 4.4 percent, 4.3 percent and 3.3 percent less ground respectively than in 2025. Users can also examine trip volumes, distance, CO₂ emissions, fuel consumption and local conditions.

Webfleet developed the methodology with mobility intelligence specialist Mobito, leveraging over 25 years of fleet experience and one of Europe’s largest connected vehicle ecosystems.

Jan-Maarten de Vries, President – Fleet Management Solutions, Bridgestone, said, “The Webfleet Commercial Trip Monitor provides a clearer picture of urban mobility through the lens of fleet operations. Commercial vehicles do not experience cities the way commuters and consumers do. They follow different routes, operate under different regulations, make multiple stops and load and unload. When conditions change due to congestion, roadworks, low-emission zones, regulation or major events, fleet businesses often feel the impact first. Even relatively small changes can affect productivity, operating costs, fuel use and emissions.”

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The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) strengthened its ties with the worldwide rubber sector by attending the 12th International Rubber Glove Conference & Exhibition (IRGCE) 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, which ran from 8 to 10 September 2026. With ‘Synergising Innovation: Redefine the Future of Rubber Glove Ecosystem’ as its theme, the gathering drew together manufacturers, technologists, industry leaders and other players from around the world.

Their discussions revolved around innovation, collaboration and sustainable growth across the rubber glove ecosystem. Dr Suttipong Angthong, ANRPC Secretary-General, addressed the plenary session ‘Economic Synergies and Sustainable Initiatives for the Glove Ecosystem’, delivering a presentation titled ‘Navigating the Global Natural Rubber Outlook’. His remarks covered major trends affecting the world natural rubber market and what they mean for glove producers.

Dr Angthong and Dr Lekshmi Nair of ANRPC also used the event's sidelines for high-level talks with international partners. With the Latin American Rubber Association (SLTC), the focus was on possible Asian-Latin American cooperation among natural rubber-producing nations, especially sharing knowledge and building capacity through experiences and best practices. A joint session with the China Synthetic Rubber Industry Association (CSRIA) pinpointed areas for collaboration in both natural and synthetic rubber, such as exchanging data and publications and taking part in one another's events.

Talks with TechnoBiz centred on possible partnerships for organising rubber industry events alongside programmes in ANRPC member countries. Altogether, the engagements confirmed ANRPC's dedication to international cooperation, knowledge exchange and strategic partnerships, creating new openings with partners across Asia and Latin America.

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Hankook Tire has secured a multi-year original equipment agreement with Schmitz Cargobull, Europe’s foremost trailer manufacturer. The arrangement commenced on 1 July 2026 and will continue through June 2030, marking Hankook’s re-entry into the European commercial vehicle tyre original equipment market.

Under the deal, Schmitz Cargobull will fit Hankook trailer tyres ex-works on a portion of its newly built semi-trailers and trailers. The tyre range encompasses the Smart Line series for long-distance haulage, Smart Flex for regional and local distribution and Smart Work for off-road construction applications.

(From left): Andreas Schmitz, CEO, Schmitz Cargobull AG, and Jongho Park, President and COO, Hankook Tire Europe

The agreement also extends to the used-trailer segment. Schmitz Cargobull produces curtainsiders, dry freight containers, refrigerated semi-trailers, container chassis and tippers across three German plants plus facilities in Great Britain, Spain, Lithuania, Romania and Turkey.

Jongho Park, President and COO, Hankook Tire Europe, said, “The development of the European logistics market opens up new potential for close partnerships in the commercial vehicle tyre segment, which is increasingly important to us from a strategic perspective. As an industry leader, Schmitz Cargobull has particularly high standards in terms of quality, performance, efficiency and sustainability. We are proud that our tyres meet all these criteria and are delighted about the strategic partnership.”

Andreas Schmitz, CEO, Schmitz Cargobull, said, “With Hankook, we are gaining a capable partner whose high-quality tyres are the perfect complement to our portfolio. In addition to the product qualities, reliability of supply for our European production sites was an important consideration. The agreement will enable us to offer the right tyre solutions for different applications, whether long-distance transport, regional transport or use on construction sites, while also taking into consideration our customers’ requirements for cost-effectiveness and operational reliability.”

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