Water is essential for all life, and since 1992, the United Nations World Water Day on March 22 has served as a reminder of its significance. With global water consumption rising—especially in the production of consumer goods—Continental Tires has long been committed to sustainable water management throughout its value chain.
Water plays a crucial role in tire manufacturing, being used for heating, cooling, cleaning, and meeting employees’ daily needs. Since 2020, Continental has reduced its water withdrawal per ton of product by more than ten percent across all locations, saving approximately 197 million liters—enough to fill 79 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
This achievement is the result of systematic measures to enhance water efficiency, alongside advanced wastewater treatment and reuse processes. Leveraging innovative filtration and membrane technologies, the company now recycles about 90 percent of its treated wastewater, reinforcing its commitment to responsible resource management.
“We monitor our water use systematically and holistically, while consistently using the latest technologies to reduce, reuse and recycle,” says Dr. Bernhard Trilken, Head of Manufacturing and Logistics at Continental Tires.
This commitment is paying off. Since 2020, Continental Tires has used significantly less water per ton of tires produced than the industry average. This is the result of internal benchmarking with other leading tire manufacturers worldwide, all members of the Tire Industry Project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. “We want to continuously reduce our water withdrawal. This applies in particular to regions with increased water risk. With a reduction of more than 10 percent in the last four years, we have come a big step closer to our ambition,” says Trilken.
Continental has prioritized environmental protection since 1993, systematically tracking water consumption and implementing measures to reduce water withdrawal. Notable efforts include transitioning from water-based to air-based cooling systems in 1996 and launching the “Sustainable Water Initiative in Manufacturing” (SWIM) in 2021 to raise employee awareness. The company continues to invest in advanced technologies to further minimize water use.
Innovative filtration and membrane technologies for water recycling
Continental relies on intelligent solutions along the entire value chain to improve water quality. One of these technologies is based on membrane pores that are produced using the latest materials science and advanced treatment technologies. These precision-engineered membrane pores are extremely effective against contaminants and allow water to be efficiently reused in a wide range of wastewater streams. As a result, approximately 90 percent of process wastewater can be reused after treatment.
Efficient steam treatment through reverse osmosis technologies
To treat steam, Continental uses reverse osmosis technology, in which water is forced at high pressure through a semi-permeable membrane to remove impurities. This minimizes the volume of wastewater and improves the efficiency of softening and desalination systems that remove minerals such as calcium and magnesium from the water to prevent limescale deposits, extending the service life of facilities. Technical measures include replacing inefficient water filters, minimizing backwashing and reusing steam condensate.
Sustainability ambitions for all production locations
Water withdrawal is reduced by recycling cooling water and steam, and by optimizing the water circuits in the compounding and extrusion processes that Continental uses to produce its tires. An online monitoring system that tracks and records total water withdrawal at all of Continental’s tire production sites worldwide improves operational efficiency by identifying and preventing water losses. “Our consumption monitoring system documents the water flows at various inlet and outlet points. If we detect that the reading for a particular process exceeds the specified limit, the system immediately sounds an alarm,” says Henning Mühlenstedt, Head of Future Technologies and Sustainable Infrastructure at Continental Tires. These measures are supported by comprehensive risk assessments and water audits at all production sites worldwide. This enables targeted improvements and contributes significantly to water conservation and reuse.
Every drop counts: rainwater collection and water-efficient installations
Continental also reduces regular water withdrawals at its production sites by reusing wastewater, collecting rainwater, reducing consumption and installing water-saving flushing systems and touchless faucets on wash basins. These measures also help to conserve water resources.
Continental has been recognized by CDP for its sustainability efforts, earning an A- “Leadership” status in climate protection for 2024 and a B rating in water management. This marks the seventh consecutive year of recognition, reflecting the company’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and protecting water resources. Continental has participated in CDP’s environmental ranking for twelve years.
, Continental highlights its commitment to sustainable water management. Since 2020, the Tires group sector has reduced water withdrawal per ton of product by more than 10%, utilizing advanced technologies like membranes and reverse osmosis.){kind=link}