Together with ANDRITZ and recycling specialist HolyPoly, UPM Communication Papers has built the first industrial-scale paper machine clothing (PMC) recycling system in Europe.
Used fabrics are collected, processed and converted into high-quality granulate for manufacturers replacing virgin fossil-based plastics. Every tonne recycled avoids approximately three tonnes of CO₂. Launched at full scale in January 2025, the programme is already running across six UPM mills, with a clear next step: closing the loop entirely by feeding recycled material back into new paper machine clothing.
PMC is indispensable for making paper. Forming fabrics, press felts, dryer fabrics and belts guide pulp through every stage of the paper machine, removing water and shaping it into paper. Subjected to mechanical and thermal stress, these fabrics wear out over time and must be regularly replaced. This routine not only ensures smooth machine operation but also maintains consistent paper quality.
From landfill to industry-scale recycling
For UPM Communication Papers, this creates a significant recurring material flow. Around 185 tonnes of forming fabrics and press felts are used every year across UPM paper mills in Finland and Germany. Made from high-quality synthetic polymers, primarily polyamide (PA) and polyester (PET), this material has historically been incinerated for energy recovery or sent to landfills.
Recycling PMC has been challenging. The polymers are intermixed within the fabric structure and degraded in ways that make material separation technically demanding. Regulatory constraints have added further complexity.
Building a circular value chain
In 2022, the joint project with ANDRITZ started alongside with a German plastics recycling specialist HolyPoly to establish a solution from the ground up. ANDRITZ, headquartered in Austria and one of the world’s leading suppliers of paper machine technology and PMC, had been a long-standing UPM supplier.
We saw a clear opportunity to contribute to a more circular value chain
HolyPoly manages the full logistics and recycling chain: used PMC is collected at the mills, transported to local sorting facilities, and consolidated until enough is available for processing. The bales are then transferred to specialised recycling facilities where the fabrics are cleaned, shredded and mechanically processed to separate PA from PET. The resulting material is compounded into high-quality granulate that currently supplies manufacturers of injection-molded components, for example the automotive and furniture industries. They directly replace virgin fossil-based plastics.
ANDRITZ is continuing to optimise granulate quality to the point where it could be used in the production of new paper machine clothing, which would complete the loop entirely.
Matti Muurinen, the Vice President of PMC Sales EMEA at ANDRITZ emphasises that the PMC has been recognized as a complex, but important challenge due to the composition of the material and high requirements for performance. “At ANDRITZ, we saw a clear opportunity to contribute to a more circular value chain. UPM was the ideal partner because of their strong sustainability ambitions, technical expertise, and readiness to engage in pioneering work. Together, we were able to combine operational know-how with innovation to tackle this challenge effectively.” Says Muurinen.
Scaled to industry
Following successful development, the programme launched at industrial scale in January 2025, with five UPM mills participating: Nordland, Schongau, Augsburg, Jämsänkoski, and Kymi. In 2025 alone, UPM Nordland recycled 17.28 tonnes of PMC, reducing the mill’s total waste volume by 5.9%. The process is fully industrialised, scalable and compliant with all relevant regulations. Strong market demand for the recycled material ensures its economic viability.
“We at UPM are delighted to collaborate with ANDRITZ and HolyPoly to recycle our used paper machine clothing. With this initiative we are moving the utilization of used paper machine clothing higher in the waste hierarchy, from energy recovery to recycling as material.
Special thanks go to all colleagues in the mills who contributed to the successful implementation of this project and helped us take another step towards more sustainability.” Says Heiner Schütte, Senior Sourcing Manager at UPM Sourcing.
Moving up the waste hierarchy
No comparable industrial-scale, multi-mill PMC recycling system had been implemented in Europe before this initiative. This collaboration marks a decisive shift for the paper industry: from linear disposal to traceable, circular material use. By prioritizing material recycling over energy recovery, UPM Communication Papers, ANDRITZ and HolyPoly have together moved PMC higher up the waste hierarchy, and in doing so, delivered measurable climate benefit.
This project is one example of how UPM Communication Papers is acting on its Climate Action Roadmap beyond the mill fence line. Reducing emissions does not stop at the end of the paper machine, it extends into the full material cycle, from the fabrics that make production possible to the granulate that replaces virgin fossil-based plastics in other industries.
The next phase will focus on advancing the material towards fully closed-loop applications within the paper industry.