LEONHARD KURZ makes a strong statement about environmental awareness within automotive interior design by winning the German Innovation Award 2025

Fürth/Germany, May 13, 2025: Sustainability and environmental awareness are perhaps the key issues of our time. Resource-saving measures, recycling and responsibility not only shape brand image in the automotive sector, but also play decisive roles on the road to success.

For many years, LEONHARD KURZ has been demonstrating how spectacular decoration, functional design and environmental awareness can seamlessly and successfully work together. “Sustainability is a key issue for us at KURZ. As the market leader in surface coating, we are aware of our global responsibility. For many years now, we have been looking at ways to make our products and processes more sustainable. Product innovations and the constant evolution towards a circular economy are essential for us,” explains Ralph Hopfensitz, Executive Senior Vice President Global Technology and CTO.

Pioneer in innovation and sustainability

By winning the renowned German Innovation Award 2025 in two categories, the specialist in thin-film technology, and world market leader in the field of hot stamping, has proven once again that innovation and sustainability go hand in hand in the automotive sector. The award honors products, projects and pioneering achievements that sustainably improve life through innovation and progress. KURZ entered the renowned competition with the entry ‘Technical Textiles made of RECOSYS^® rPET’ and won prizes in the categories ‘Excellence in Business to Business - Circular Impacts’ and ‘Excellence in Business to Business - Materials & Surfaces’. The award ceremony will take place on May 13, 2025, at the German Museum of Technology in Berlin.

Opening new perspectives for high-quality interior design

With RECOSYS^® 2.0, KURZ presents a sustainable approach that offers many application possibilities, while also revolutionizing the industry. The innovative recycling process converts PET carrier films from the graphics industry into RECOSYS^® rPET, which is then used as a basis for textile yarns. The high-quality technical textiles made from these yarns can be used in a wide range of new applications in the automotive industry, such as for car seats. Through this forward-looking perspective on interior design, KURZ is making a pioneering contribution to the sustainability activities of tomorrow. This is in line with the EU Commission's recommendations that at least 25% of the plastic in new cars should come from recycled sources in future. With the textile yarn made from RECOSYS^® rPET, KURZ offers an optimal solution.

On the way to a circular economy

The RECOSYS^® 2.0 take-back and recycling program from KURZ opens up new ways of thinking about sustainability. It allows PET production residues to be processed into recycled PET (rPET) – providing quality and responsibility along the entire value chain. This brings the company closer to its goal of closed-loop production, as the environmentally-friendly recycled granulate conserves resources and offers reliable availability and transparency. The RECOSYS^® rPET raw material, a 100% pure post-industrial recyclate (PIR), can then be processed into sustainable fibers such as textile yarns. Ideal for high demands, it can even be dyed and used like new material.