Voith has won the German Sustainability Award for its Infinity +Green press felt and the recycling concept behind it. The 18th annual award ceremony took place on December 5, 2025, in Düsseldorf. Voith was among the winners in the ‘Resources’ category and impressed the 240 jury members from science, business and civil society with its innovative press felt for paper production. The full recyclability of the product in a closed cycle, which is a first, contributes to improving the sustainability of industrial paper production.
“Infinity +Green opens up new opportunities for the paper industry to implement the circular economy in concrete terms and take responsibility for the future. The German Sustainability Award confirms that we are on the right track,” says Anne Klaschka, Global Product Manager Press Felts, Voith Paper.
Press felts are used in the drying of paper webs and are exposed to high stresses – they therefore usually have to be replaced after a few weeks. Conventional felts then have to be disposed of, generating around 15,000 tons of waste worldwide every year. In contrast, Infinity +Green press felts, developed according to the “design for recycling” approach, enable a closed recycling loop that reduces waste volumes and minimises the use of resources. At the same time, manufacturing new felts from recycled material reduces the carbon footprint by up to 31 percent compared to conventional products.
