Continental’s tire plant in Mount Vernon, Illinois, has become the company’s first in the U.S. to earn the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS (ISCC PLUS). This globally recognized standard certifies that Continental meets specific documentation requirements relating to the use of renewable and recycled raw materials. It also confirms the completely transparent traceability of the raw materials used in the production process. It marks an important milestone in the company’s global sustainability strategy, which aims to increase the share of recycled and renewable production materials in its tires to at least 40 percent by 2030.
Nik Pearce, who heads the Continental Tire plant in Mt. Vernon, says the ISCC PLUS certification highlights Continental’s commitment to sustainable mobility in the U.S.
“We are very pleased that our plant has received ISCC PLUS certification. This certification confirms our commitment to increasingly sustainable production processes and recognizes the outstanding efforts of our entire team. Together, we are implementing Continental’s global sustainability strategy at the local level – transparently, responsibly, and with a clear focus on the future.”
All of Continental’s European tire plants that produce new tires were certified between 2023 and 2025. The Hefei plant in China has also received certification in the Asia-Pacific region. ISCC PLUS is a government-recognized, multi-stakeholder initiative supported by various international interest groups.
The head of sustainability for Continental Tires, Jorge Almeida, says the company relies on transparent and traceable supply chains.
“That’s a fundamental prerequisite for making our tires increasingly sustainable. The certification of our largest U.S. plant marks another important step in this direction. It enables us to integrate more sustainable materials into our product portfolio in every region where we operate.”
Continental is working intensively to transition as many raw materials in tire production as possible to recycled and renewable material alternatives. A significant driver of this transformation is the mass balance approach. Mass balance is a chain-of-custody option in which certified and non-certified materials are physically mixed throughout the value chain but kept separate through verifiable bookkeeping. According to internationally recognized principles, this enables the integration of renewable and recycled raw materials into existing production processes.
By using the mass balance system, Continental can document and track the exact amount of renewable and recycled materials used, ensuring that the quantity of alternative feedstocks allocated to the product matches the amount procured at the start of production. The mass balance approach enables Continental to efficiently manage the complexity and use of its raw material portfolio across numerous production sites in different markets, while accounting for and allocating sustainable materials on a site-specific basis. This approach also allows Continental to continuously increase the share of more sustainable materials in its tires and supports suppliers in ramping up new technologies.
Mass-balance-certified materials already in use include, for example, synthetic rubber derived from pyrolysis oil, from the recycling of end-of-life tires or used cooking oil, as well as industrial carbon black from bio-based, biocircular, and/or circular raw materials.
