PVC-free materials brand Kavalan has announced the return of its Green Leader Awards, with winners to be revealed live at the FESPA Global Print Expo 2026.
Kavalan has announced the return of the Kavalan Green Leader Awards for 2026, building on the momentum of its successful inaugural programme in 2025.
The awards recognise outstanding large-format print projects produced using Kavalan’s PVC-free materials. They celebrate the customers, creatives, and print service providers who are pushing sustainability forward within the industry. The 2026 winners will be announced live at the FESPA Global Print Expo, taking place in Barcelona from 19th to 22nd May.
The inaugural awards attracted entries from across the globe, showcasing a diverse range of applications. Projects spanned from large-scale building wraps and construction hoardings to retail installations and experiential projects, highlighting how visual impact and sustainability can go hand in hand.
Nova Abbott, Head of Marketing at Kavalan, comments on the return of the initiative. She says: “The response to the Green Leader Awards in 2025 certainly exceeded our expectations. It was a fantastic opportunity for our community to receive some well-deserved recognition for the incredible innovation, creativity, technical excellence, and strong commitment to print sustainability that they demonstrate day in and day out. As the awards return for 2026, we’re looking forward to expanding their impact as we celebrate real-world large-scale applications.”
The 2026 awards will be judged by an independent panel of respected industry voices. Returning judges include Marcus Timson, Co-Founder of FuturePrint; Steve Lister, Global Sustainability Consultant; and Nick Widdowson, Founder of ShopperFIRST and board member of POPAI UK & Ireland. Joining the panel for the 2026 awards are Lucy Swanston, Managing Director of Nutshell Creative, and Jack Gocher, Editor of Eye on Display.
A standout winner from the inaugural awards was Blue Rhine, which received the Green Spirit Award for its work at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club. The company was praised for helping customers across the GCC region adopt PVC-free large-format print solutions in challenging climate conditions.
Rizin Kabeer, Product Management Leader at Blue Rhine, notes: “The region’s climate conditions are quite tough, and this is where Kavalan came in – I would call it the missing piece of the puzzle. Kavalan bridged the gap by offering a sustainable solution, while the Eco Calculator allowed us to provide customers with tailored certification showing exactly what they had used.”
Entries for the Kavalan Green Leader Awards 2026 are now open and are free to enter. Submitted projects must have been completed between 1st March 2024 and 28th February 2026. The deadline for final submissions is Sunday, 12th April 2026.
Kavalan awards CMYUK for environmental savings in PVC-free materials