German Innovation Award and Iconic Award 2026

Rethinking materials: With ‘NFPP - Natural Fiber Decorations for Sustainable Surfaces,’ KURZ has developed a surface solution that makes natural fiber composites a visible element of modern product design. Honored with the German Innovation Award 2026 in the category ‘Excellence in Business to Business - Materials & Surfaces’ and the Iconic Award in the category ‘Product - Material, Textile and Surface,’ this award-winning technology combines advanced material concepts with premium decorative surfaces. The result opens up new possibilities for combining material efficiency, lightweight construction, and sophisticated aesthetics in an industrially scalable solution.

Why two awards?

Because NFPP decoration excels in two dimensions: The German Innovation Award recognizes technological advancement, readiness for series production, and industrial value. The Iconic Awards focus on design quality, material aesthetics, and innovative surface effects. Together, these two distinctions validate our ambition to unite efficiency, technology, and design in a single solution.

Requirements

Sustainability, resource efficiency, and design quality are among the key requirements for modern product and vehicle concepts. Natural fiber composites such as Natural Fiber Polypropylene (NFPP) already offer advantages in terms of weight and material use. Until now, however, they have typically been concealed and rarely used as visible design elements.

The challenge was therefore to create a solution that not only functionally integrates bio-based materials such as hemp, kenaf, or flax, but also enables premium decorative surfaces with a warm, organic feel - while remaining industrially scalable, recyclable, and highly versatile in terms of design.

Solution

With the decoration technology developed by KURZ, NFPP is no longer simply hidden from view. Instead, it is deliberately showcased and enhanced as a design feature. A specially developed PP-based decorative surface structure bonds with the natural fiber composite under heat and pressure to form a stable matrix. This brings the natural fibers to the surface, where they become a defining design element.

The result is a range of surfaces with a natural appearance, visual depth, and versatile design options - from monochromatic looks to multicolor gradients and custom patterns.

In addition to its aesthetic qualities, the solution also delivers strong technical performance: Despite their low weight, the components meet a wide range of structural requirements. The natural fiber composite can even be recycled multiple times, helping to conserve resources and support a circular economy.

Together with partners such as Polyvlies and FRIMO, KURZ developed a robust, scalable process for industrial series production.