GREEN GOOD DESIGN^TM Award 2026

RECOSYS^® rPET Jersey - A Circular Approach to Textile Design

LEONHARD KURZ was honored with the GREEN GOOD DESIGN^TM Award 2026 for its consistently circular approach to materials. The focus is on RECOSYS^® rPET - a 100% single-source post-consumer recycled material (PCR) that opens up new possibilities for sustainable and high-performance textile applications.

Requirements

Today, sustainable materials must do more than simply conserve resources. Solutions are needed that can be integrated into industrial processes, meet high functional requirements, and simultaneously enable design quality.

The challenge was to develop a material that:

Is based entirely on recycled raw materials
Meets the requirements of technical textiles
Is industrially scalable
Combines design and functionality

Solution

With RECOSYS^® rPET, KURZ demonstrates how a closed-loop material cycle can be translated into high-quality industrial applications. The 100% single-source post-consumer recyclate (PCR) forms the basis for high-performance materials that are ideally suited for technical textiles. The RECOSYS^® rPET Jersey serves as a showcase: It demonstrates how the material can be transformed into a functional and design-oriented product — without compromising on quality, performance, or aesthetics.

The foundation is the company’s proprietary RECOSYS^® 2.0 recycling process, in which PET carrier materials from the graphic arts industry — returned by our customers — are sorted by type and processed into high-quality rPET granulate.

In the KURZ Jersey project, sustainable material use was specifically combined with a high-quality look: Modern sublimation printing and metallized hot stamping enhance the product and highlight the diverse design options of RECOSYS^® rPET. The material can be dyed and processed just like virgin material — without compromising its recyclability. Different textures or functional coatings can also be easily achieved.

The recovered granulate is processed into yarns and forms the basis for a wide range of applications — particularly in the field of technical textiles. A particular focus is on its use in automotive interiors. Here, the material is suitable for seat covers, door panels, trim strips, and center consoles, among other applications. In this way, RECOSYS^® rPET combines high functional requirements with design freedom and opens up new possibilities for sustainable interior concepts.

This convinced the jury

100% single-source recycled material: RECOSYS^® rPET as a high-quality post-consumer recycled material (PCR)
Consistent circular strategy: Return and recycling of customer materials
From waste to functional material: Transformation of industrial plastic scraps into high-performance textile applications
Scalable solution: Potential applications in technical textiles and automotive applications
Demonstrator with a signal effect: Jersey as a tangible example of material potential
Design & sustainability combined: Combining material innovation with high-quality surface finishing
Transparent traceability: Clearly documented material cycle and origin of the recycled materials used
Measurable impact: Contributing to Resource Conservation and CO₂ Reduction