Kurz wins the 2026 German Innovation Award

Leonhard Kurz has received the German Innovation Award 2026 in the category ‘Excellence in Business to Business - Materials & Surfaces.’ The award recognized Kurz's innovative NFPP – Natural Fiber Decorations for Sustainable Surfaces, with which the company is setting new standards for sustainable and design-oriented surface materials.

Sustainability, resource conservation and design quality are key drivers of transformation in the automotive industry. With this award-winning product, Kurz demonstrates how these requirements can be combined in an industrially scalable material and decoration concept. Natural Fiber Polypropylene (NFPP) has been in use for years. But now the focus is not on the material itself but on its new, innovative application: the targeted decoration of natural fiber composites.

With the technology developed by Kurz, NFPP can now be used not just as a hidden component but as a visible and enhanced design element. A specially developed PP-based surface structure bonds with the natural fiber composite under heat and pressure, forming a stable matrix. This allows the natural fibers to emerge at the surface and become a defining design element.

The result is surfaces with a warm, organic feel and unique visual depth. At the same time, the technology opens up a wide range of design possibilities - from solid-color designs to patterns and multi-color gradients.

In addition to its aesthetic appeal, decorated NFPP impresses with its technical and sustainable properties. Components are up to 40 percent lighter than comparable plastic materials while offering high mechanical stability.

Another key advantage lies in the material structure. By using polypropylene, the thermoplastic component remains homogeneous, ensuring product recyclability.

This award-winning product is designed for industrial series production. Together with partners such as Polyvlies (fiber technology) and Frimo (machine and tooling technology), Kurz developed a stable, reproducible, and scalable process.

This makes decorated NFPP a future-proof alternative for sustainable surfaces - not only in the automotive sector, but also in other industries such as furniture and interior design.

With this award, Kurz is recognized as one of the leaders in innovation in functional and decorative surfaces. The combination of design freedom, material efficiency and recyclability demonstrates how sustainable materials can be made not only functional but also emotionally engaging.