Leonhard Kurz has commissioned a photovoltaic carport and started ramp-up of an in-house rPET recycling plant at its Fürth headquarters, bringing two infrastructure projects online in tandem. The solar carport, inaugurated on September 1, 2025, provides an installed capacity of 1,244 kWp distributed across 2,962 modules over roughly 5,780 m2, with expected annual generation of around 1,150,000 kWh. It covers 377 parking spaces and includes 32 charging points for employees. Planning began in 2019 and was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, then resumed in November 2022 with the signing of key contracts. A one-year construction phase from November 2023 to November 2024 completed the plant technically, followed by final approvals and organizational preparations leading up to the opening. In parallel, the company is commissioning what it states is the world’s first recycling plant to produce rPET granulate from the distinctive carrier material of high-performance transfer foils, an in-house development validated in laboratory trials since 2018 and now in production ramp-up, with a future processing capacity of up to one ton of material per hour. As part of the Recosys 2.0 thin-film recycling program, active since March 2024, Kurz takes back used carrier material from participating customers in the graphics industry via an app-based registration and collection process managed by logistics partner Gebrüder Weiss when collection is ecologically advisable. The materials are processed at Fürth into rPET granulate suitable for a range of applications, including technical textiles such as yarns or staple fibers, and initial trials to produce PET films with a recycled content of about 40 percent have also been successful. The energy demand of the recycling plant is largely supplied by the new solar carport, linking photovoltaics and recycling management in day-to-day operations.
Photovoltaics integrated with site operations
The PV system combines on-site power generation, employee charging and effective land use by integrating the array with parking infrastructure. According to the company, this approach aligns energy supply with mobility and resource conservation at the headquarters. Project delivery involved several partners: EDV- und Elektrotechnik Hardy Barth GmbH acted as general contractor, Heinl Stahlkonstruktionen GmbH handled the roof construction, and Hirschmann & Himmler Stahl- und Hallenbau GmbH executed assembly and civil engineering.
Closed-loop feedstock via Recosys 2.0
In parallel to the carport, Kurz is advancing its take-back and recycling scheme for transfer-foil carrier through Recosys 2.0, described as the first system of its kind in thin-film technology. Participating customers in the graphics industry register materials via an app, and collections are scheduled when ecologically advisable and carried out by Gebrüder Weiss. At the Fürth plant, the returns are processed into rPET granulate intended for a broad set of uses, including technical textiles. Early trials to produce PET films containing roughly 40 percent recycled content have been successful. The new recycling facility, an in-house development tested since 2018, is in production ramp-up and is designed to process up to one ton of material per hour.
Opening attendees and leadership comment
Guests from business and politics attended the opening of the solar carport, including Dr. Thomas Jung, Mayor of the City of Fürth; Christine Lippert, City Planning Officer and First Plant Manager of StEF (Municipal drainage system in Fürth); Dipl.-Ing. Siegrid Niewrzol, architect at the Fürth Building Authority; Hardy Barth, Managing Director of EDV- & Elektrotechnik Hardy Barth GmbH; and Robert Saazer, master electrician at the company. Commenting on the project, Kurz CEO Dr. Andreas Hirschfelder said: "With the combination of solar energy and highly innovative recycling technology, we are setting new standards for sustainability in our industry. The solar carport is a visible symbol of our innovative strength and our future-oriented approach. We would like to express our special thanks to Fürth's mayor, Dr. Thomas Jung, who actively supported the approval process and thus contributed significantly to the rapid realization of the project at the Fürth location."
Double innovation at Leonhard Kurz: Solar carport and rPET recycling plant now in operation
