UPM has entered a collaboration to recycle its used paper machine clothing, moving the material up the waste hierarchy from incineration to the production of injection-molded parts for the automotive and furniture industries, according to the technology supplier Andritz.
The program, which launched on an industrial scale in January 2025, targets the estimated 7,000 tons of paper machine clothing discarded from paper machines across Europe each year. Used fabrics and felts made from synthetic polymers, including press felts from different polyamides (PA) and forming fabrics composed of PA and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), are collected at UPM paper mills. The collection is coordinated by German recycling company HolyPoly, which ensures proper material recycling of the components in compliance with all regulations.
The recycled material currently substitutes virgin polymers in the production of new components. Each ton of recycled paper machine clothing prevents approximately three tons of CO₂ emissions by avoiding incineration. Several UPM mills in Finland and Germany are already participating in the program, supplying materials for the recycling process, which is described as fully scalable.
In parallel, Andritz is working to optimize the granulate quality and specifications. The long-term goal is to enable the use of the recycled material in the manufacturing of new paper machine clothing.
