You are currently accessing BusinessGreen via your Enterprise account.
If you already have an account please use the link below to sign in.
If you have any problems with your access or would like to request an individual access account please contact our customer service team.
You are currently accessing BusinessGreen via your Enterprise account.
If you already have an account please use the link below to sign in.
If you have any problems with your access or would like to request an individual access account please contact our customer service team.
Firm uses 40 recycled plastic bottles to make a set of the car tyres | Credit: Continental
Continental is preparing for the market launch of mass-market car tyres made in part from polyester sourced from recycled plastic bottles, in a move the tyre manufacturer claims marks a world-first.
The tyre brand has announced plans to ramp up production of recycled polyester yarn from PET plastic bottles, which it then uses as a core material in the production of passenger car tyres, later this year.
The new ContiRe.Tex technology is designed to replace the conventional polyester in a tyre carcass, and Continental said a set of standard car tyres would use material from around 40 recycled PET bottles.
The tyres mark a key milestone towards Continental's ambition to only use 'sustainable material' in its production of car tyres by 2050, it said.
"We only use high-performance materials in our premium tyres," explained Ferdinand Hoyos, who leads Continental's tyre replacement business in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "From now on, these will include polyester yarn from PET bottles, made in a particularly efficient recycling process. We brought our innovative ContiRe.Tex technology to the production stage in just eight months. I'm proud of our entire team for this remarkable achievement."
The high-performance material is set to be used initially in selected sizes for Continental's Premium Contact 6 and Eco Contact 6 summer tyres.
The firm first unveiled the in-house ContiRe.Tex technology in September last year. The plastic bottles used for the technology come exclusively from regions without a closed recycling loop, according to Continental, which sorts, mechanically cleans and removes the caps from the bottles. After mechanical shredding, the PET is further processed into granulate and then finally spun polyester yarn, it explained.
Continental claims its recycling process negates the need for any intermediate recycling or manufacturing steps that use chemicals, which makes the technology more efficient than other standard methods for processing PET bottles into high-performance polyester yarns.
In related news, rival tyre brand Goodyear last week announced it has added all-Tesla, electric vehicle (EV) ride-sharing company Revel to the growing portfolio of its investment arm, Goodyear Ventures.
Goodyear said investing in companies that support the transition to EVs was key to its business strategy, as estimated that revenue for each of its bespoke EV tyres is around 30 per cent higher than for a conventional car tyre.
Beyond Revel, Goodyear Ventures claims to have grown its investment portfolio significantly over the past two years, partnering with EV start-up and advanced EV charging network firm AmpUp as well as community-based EV-care sharing service Envoy.
'Enormous appetite': UK energy storage pipeline doubles to over 32GW
Munro scoops £750,000 backing to build fully-electric 4X4 vehicles in Glasgow
'Untapped opportunity': Sustainable fashion platform Material Exchange bags €25m investment
Munro scoops £750,000 backing to build fully-electric 4X4 vehicles in Glasgow
Manufacturer Munro has received £750,000 funding from Echo Beach Capital to build production line
Seurat Technologies reveals growing customer interest in cutting-edge 3D printing systems
US car giant heralds production of e-Transit as pivotal moment in its drive to electrify its European sales
© Incisive Business Media (IP) Limited, Published by Incisive Business Media Limited, New London House, 172 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5QR.Registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 09177174 & 09178013. Part of Arc network, www.arc-network.com