UPM and VAUDE Receive Ernst Pelz Award for the First Fleece Jacket Made from Wood-Based Polyester
- Pioneering Material Innovation
- A Joint Contribution to the Transformation of the Textile Industry
Helsinki/Tettnang, July 10, 2026 – UPM Next Generation Renewables and the sustainable outdoor brand VAUDE have been awarded the 2026 Ernst Pelz Award for their joint development of the world's first fleece jacket made from wood-based polyester. The award was presented by Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger on July 6 during the C.A.R.M.E.N. Symposium in Straubing, Germany.
The Ernst Pelz Award recognizes innovative solutions that successfully bring renewable raw materials into industrial applications. For UPM and VAUDE, the award also acknowledges their long-standing collaboration in advancing a more climate-friendly and circular textile industry.
The textile industry faces the challenge of reducing its dependence on fossil-based raw materials while meeting the growing global demand for high-performance textiles. Recycling remains a key pillar of this transition but, on its own, will not be sufficient to meet future raw material demand. Renewable feedstocks are therefore needed to complement recycling and replace fossil carbon sources in materials such as polyester.
The jointly developed fleece jacket combines both approaches. Made from wood-based polyester, it demonstrates that high-performance outdoor apparel can already be produced using renewable raw materials today. At the same time, the material is compatible with existing manufacturing processes, providing a realistic pathway toward industrial-scale production.
"Recycling will remain indispensable, but it alone will not be enough to eliminate fossil raw materials from the textile system. The world's first fleece jacket made from wood-based polyester demonstrates that renewable carbon can create the link between climate protection, circularity, and industrial scalability," says Dominik Müller, Senior Manager Sustainability & Market Development, UPM Next Generation Renewables.
"With our fleece jacket made from wood-based polyester, we are demonstrating that renewable raw materials can be a genuine alternative to fossil-based materials. Innovations like this are only possible through strong partnerships across the value chain. Receiving the Ernst Pelz Award encourages us to continue on this path together and actively help shape the transformation of the textile industry," says René Bethmann, Innovation Manager at VAUDE.
Partnerships as the Key to Transformation
The Ernst Pelz Award recognizes not only a pioneering material innovation but also the close collaboration across the value chain. UPM and VAUDE demonstrate how renewable raw materials and circular economy approaches can complement one another to gradually replace fossil resources and bring tangible climate and resource protection solutions into practice. The Ernst Pelz Award includes prize funding of €10,000. UPM and VAUDE will use the funds to further develop and commercialize their joint material innovation. This will support the transfer of wood-based polyester from development into industrial application and demonstrate how renewable carbon can gradually replace fossil raw materials in textile production.
About the Ernst Pelz Award
The Ernst Pelz Award has been presented by the Ernst Pelz Foundation since 1992 and is one of Germany's most prestigious awards for innovations based on renewable raw materials. It recognizes projects that demonstrate how bio-based materials can replace fossil resources and create new value chains for a sustainable economy. The award is presented jointly by the Bavarian State Ministries for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy and for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism, in cooperation with C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V., as part of the annual C.A.R.M.E.N. Symposium in Straubing.
UPM Next Generation Renewables
UPM Next Generation Renewables is a strategic growth business area of UPM, leading the industrial scale-up of the bioeconomy. We produce advanced, wood-based alternatives to fossil raw materials and enable customers to reduce emissions, meet sustainability targets and strengthen their competitive advantage. With pioneering biorefineries in Lappeenranta, Finland, and Leuna, Germany, we turn sustainably sourced wood and industry residues into renewable fuels and chemicals, such as renewable glycols, lignin-based functional fillers, renewable diesel and bio-naphtha. We accelerate the shift toward circular, fossil-free value chains and set new standards for sustainable materials. Follow UPM Next Generation Renewables on LinkedIn | #WeRenewTheEveryday #UPMNextGenerationRenewables
UPM
UPM is a material solutions company, renewing products and entire value chains with an extensive portfolio of renewable fibres, advanced materials, decarbonization solutions, and communication papers. Our performance in sustainability has been recognized by third parties, including EcoVadis and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. We operate globally and employ approximately 15,100 people worldwide, with annual sales of approximately €9.7 billion. Our shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. upm.com