Finishing & Screen Printing

Visionary ideas: KURZ shows how design and sustainability merge at CES 2023

Friday 23. December 2022 - KURZ plays a pioneering role in the plastics industry, particularly when it comes to the important topic of sustainability. The company will be presenting groundbreaking solutions at CES 2023 - not only for the materials used.

At the start of the year, Las Vegas will once again become a mecca for the international electronics industry. From January 5 to 8, 2023, numerous exhibitors from all over the world will be converging on the city in the American desert to present their new products at the CES technology trade fair – one of them is LEONHARD KURZ, the expert for pioneering plastic surface solutions.
Trade visitors will be able to experience innovations from the automotive, consumer electronics, and sustainability sectors live at stand number 4367. KURZ plays a pioneering role in the plastics industry, particularly when it comes to the important topic of sustainability. The company will be presenting groundbreaking solutions at CES 2023 – not only for the materials used, the processes deployed, and the products manufactured, but also for the preceding product design stage.
An international project with visionary design: ‘Spacewood Experiment’
KURZ shows what it can look like if sustainability is taken into account from the outset with the inspiring Visionary Design collection ‘Spacewood Experiment.’ This development required unconventional and creative approaches; only recycled and/or organic raw materials were used for its implementation. The pilot project is a collaboration of selected visionary designers working for KURZ worldwide. As the name suggests, this concept is about a completely new, visionary interpretation of wood – inspired by the question of what look and feel this particular material would have on other planets. As a result, the project produced spectacular surfaces with experimental designs, colors, and surface structures. In keeping with this innovative approach, KURZ combines the presentation of this sustainable collection with a unique feature: Visitors can take the visionary designs home as give-aways in the form of exclusive postcards with their own NFT (Non-Fungible Token) – a unique digital collector’s item!
Design ideas that feel good
A little more down-to-earth, but no less spectacular, is the ‘Wellbeing’ project, whose exhibits are primarily intended to radiate calm and security in times of crisis and uncertainty. Exhibits have been created from various post-industrial and post-consumer materials as well as biopolymers, which appear different due to the many different recycled materials, but all share a flowing, organic, and calm design language. Natural, sustainable dyes, for example extracted from turmeric and beetroot, have been used in the production. The feel of the design elements is also extremely pleasant and simply feels good, according to Michael Ucke, Head of Visionary Design at LEONHARD KURZ. “Our two Visionary Design collections impressively demonstrate that recycled plastic waste can lead to fantastic designs. With our pioneering concepts, we want to take not just one but, if possible, two steps forward and set completely new standards,” says Michael Ucke.
A holistic approach to sustainability
Sustainability is a common theme throughout KURZ concepts, well beyond ‘Spacewood Experiment’ and ‘Wellbeing.’ All other exhibits also impressively demonstrate that sustainable designs can be implemented without compromising on appearance. Metallizations with indium are used, for example. This is an environmentally friendly alternative to electroplating, which also supports technologies for autonomous driving and is 5G compatible. The thin-film specialist pursues the ‘360° Lifecycle Thinking’ approach holistically. On the one hand, the company’s production processes are particularly efficient and thus reduce CO2. At present, finishings with a proportion of bio-based raw materials of around 30 percent can be implemented – and this trend is on the rise. KURZ has also already succeeded in producing decoration products with CO2 savings of up to 25 percent, which are in no way inferior to conventional products in terms of design and quality. Components decorated with KURZ products are already 100 percent recyclable. The wafer-thin touch sensors from KURZ subsidiary PolyIC used in many concepts can also be easily recycled together with the components.
Online presence for CES 2023
LEONHARD KURZ is also using its trade fair presence in Las Vegas to showcase a comprehensive online presentation of the company’s innovations and exhibition highlights.