Continental’s ContiRe.Tex tire was chosen as the GALAP Product of the Year 2023 in the Tire category after competing against 38 other candidates. On Wednesday, December 14, the Award was presented at the Torre Glries in Barcelona. The use of recycled materials in tire manufacture was pioneered by ContiRe.Tex technology, which achieved an 8.2 out of 10 rating from a sample of about 100,000 users.

With its ContiRe.Tex technology, which aims to make the manufacturing, use, and recyclability of its tires more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, Continental just got one step closer to the goal of tires made from 100% recycled or sustainable materials. ContiRe.Tex utilizes between 9 to 15 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles per tire, depending on the tire size.

The company’s creativity and commitment to sustainability, in the opinion of Jorge Cajal, director of communications at Continental, are recognized by this award: “It should be noted that the ContiRe.Tex technology will be incorporated into the current models from EcoContact 7, AllSeasonContact or SportContact 7, without ruling out other product segments and in the dimensional range, this innovation, in addition to guaranteeing efficient solutions for all users, is a commitment to the future to achieve sustainable mobility and respect for the environment using recycled, renovated and reused materials”.

The polyester yarn used to make tires with ContiRe.Tex technology is made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles without the use of any intermediate chemical processes and cannot be recycled in any other way. This innovation totally replaces traditional polyester in the carcass of PremiumContact 6, EcoContact 6, and AllSeasonContact all-season tires.

All of the tires on the market that have ContiRe.Tex technology are produced at Continental’s tire factory in Lousado, Portugal. These tires have a unique identification mark that says “Contains Recycled Material (CRM)” on the sidewall.