Continental expands the use of raw materials from recycled plastic bottles
Continental has announced that it continues to increase the proportion of recycled materials in its tires, and not so long ago, even more factories began to use polyester fabric made from recycled PET bottles.
The new technology increases the share of recycled raw materials in tire production by an average of 3%, and depending on the tire size during its manufacture, up to 15 plastic bottles are used. Thus, Continental reduces the consumption of valuable resources, and for the first time, the technology, named ContiRe.Tex, was introduced at the end of 2021. The bottles used are those that, according to the company, would not have been recycled otherwise and would have gone to waste incineration plants or landfills, and the polyester fabric is made without any intermediate chemical stages and provides the same resistance to loads as traditional materials.
"Reducing resource consumption, reusing materials, and recycling are the three factors that make the tire industry more environmentally friendly," said Jorge Almeida, Head of Sustainable Development at Continental's tire division. "Polyester fabric made from recycled PET bottles is just as strong as ordinary material, and this proves that Continental is able to combine environmental friendliness, efficiency, and safety."
Since 2022, the ContiRe.Tex technology has been used on a limited scale at factories in Lousado (Portugal) and Otrokovice (Czech Republic), and not so long ago, it was also introduced in the serial production of tires at plants in Korbach (Germany) and Sarreguemines (France)
Continental notes that the transition to more environmentally friendly materials is an important part of the company's sustainable development strategy. By 2030, the company plans to increase the share of environmentally friendly raw materials (recycled or from renewable sources) to more than 40%, and by that time, all new Continental tires for passenger and light commercial vehicles will be made using polyester fibers from recycled plastic. Currently, Continental passenger tires contain around 15-20% "green" materials.
In tire production, the company uses textile made from various types of polyester, which gives tires the necessary strength, elasticity, and durability. At the same time, as Continental emphasizes, the textile made from recycled PET is not inferior to ordinary fabrics made using crude oil in terms of tensile strength and thermal resistance.
"Continental is intensively working on creating technologies that guarantee that all types of polyester used in tire production will be replaced with environmentally friendly PET by 2030," the company says, adding that the possibility of using biobased materials or those obtained through chemical recycling is also being considered.
No later than 2050, all new Continental tires will be 100% made from environmentally friendly materials, and it is reported that "step by step, it becomes clear what raw materials will be used in the future", and this list will include, for example, agricultural waste such as rice husk ash (used in the production of silica), as well as dandelion rubber and recycled plastic bottles.