Rethinking sustainability: LEONHARD KURZ presents solutions featuring NFPP, rPET, and bio-based materials at K 2025

Fürth/Germany, September 24, 2025: Resource scarcity, stricter legal requirements, and changing consumer behavior have made sustainability one of the most important drivers of industrial innovation. Manufacturers are under increasing pressure to integrate low-emission materials, recyclable products, and energy-efficient processes into their value chains while continuing to meet the highest standards of quality and function. At K 2025, the leading international trade fair for the plastics industry, which will take place in Düsseldorf from October 8 to 15, LEONHARD KURZ will demonstrate how these requirements can be translated into marketable solutions with technological expertise. With Natural Fiber composites with PolyPropylene Fibers (NFPP), its in-house RECOSYS^® rPET, and EcoLayer FX, the company is presenting several innovations that combine circular economy, resource conservation, and industrial scalability.

Natural fiber as a lightweight and strong material

NFPP offers a completely new understanding of lightweight construction. Combining polypropylene with natural fibers such as flax or kenaf creates components that are up to 40 percent lighter than conventional plastic solutions – with the same stability and excellent formability. In addition to weight reduction, NFPP offers additional advantages such as good sound and heat insulation and a characteristic organic look. Visible natural fibers give the components an authentic, warm feel and create new design possibilities in vehicle interiors.

The manufacturing process for the NFPP solution is designed for series production: Under heat and pressure, the natural fiber mat, which is coated with PP fibers, is bonded to the decorative substrate to create a robust, recyclable end product. At K 2025, KURZ, together with its partners Polyvlies and FRIMO Innovative Technologies, will demonstrate three different NFPP applications that impressively demonstrate the potential of the material. A decorated door element with a width of around 80 centimeters shows that even large-area components can be finished to a high standard and efficiently using the DecoPress process. The natural fiber mat used consists of equal parts recycled natural fiber and recycled polypropylene (rPP). A second exhibit - an interior component - uses a natural fiber mat that contains a proportion of recycled NFPP elements. The result is a particularly sustainable material mix with a high-quality appearance. As a third application, a cover component will be manufactured live at the stand of partner company WITTMANN. The natural fiber structure will be decorated on the front and back-injected on the rear, to meet both visual and structural requirements in an integrated process.

RECOSYS^® rPET: Recycling redefined

With its own take-back and recycling system RECOSYS^®, KURZ is well on its way to closing the material cycle and providing high-quality, single-type rPET granulate that forms the basis for sustainable applications. KURZ will be demonstrating what further processing could look like in the future at K 2025 together with its partners Farplas, Topp Textil, and Technofibres: RECOSYS^® rPET serves as the basis for technical textiles used in vehicle interiors. This results in textile surfaces that blend harmoniously into the vehicle interior in terms of structure, feel, and appearance - while significantly improving the environmental balance.

KURZ's rPET granulate is suitable for applications such as seat covers, door panels, and trim moldings, and supports OEMs in implementing sustainable design approaches with high technical performance and meeting the requirements of the EU Recycling Directive for new vehicles. The first textiles produced are resource-efficient and represent an approach that demonstrates the state of development of recycled PET. Further information will be available at K 2025: As part of the VDMA special show ‘The Power of Plastics,’ KURZ will showcase the closed cycle from the raw material to the finished demonstrator.

EcoLayer FX: Decoration on sustainable substrates

Another component in KURZ's sustainability portfolio is EcoLayer FX technology. It enables high-quality surface decorations on substrates that are a combination of natural materials and plastic, such as talc combined with polypropylene, polypropylene with cellulose content, or limestone in combination with polypropylene. The highlight: The decorative layer is finer than a human hair and does not affect the recyclability of the components. This allows visually appealing designs to be realized without compromising environmental compatibility and processability.

At K 2025, KURZ will be showcasing various EcoLayer FX designs that illustrate the use of polypropylene with natural additives in industrial practice. This gives OEMs and plastics processors new options for implementing functional and brand-defining surfaces with a more environmentally friendly approach, at the same high technical level as classic plastic solutions.

Design, technology, and circular economy

With the solutions on display, KURZ once again underscores its role as a pioneer in sustainability and a driver of innovation for functional and decorative surfaces. NFPP, RECOSYS^® rPET, and EcoLayer FX are examples of how resource conservation, material efficiency, and modern design can be combined in a single process. By using recycled materials, bio-based material additives, and highly efficient production methods, KURZ supports its customers in improving their carbon footprint and implementing distinctive design solutions.

At a glance

K 2025 from October 8 to 15, 2025, in Düsseldorf
LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co. KG: Hall 5, Booth A19
Focus of the trade fair presentation: Exterior Design, Interior Design, Sustainability