Award-winning start to the new year for MANN-FILTER. The “Naturally Better” launch campaign for more sustainable filters featuring lignin in the coating has impressed the jury of the German Design Council.
Ludwigsburg, February 9, 2026 – Design that can do more – that’s what the German Design Award 2026 is all about. MANN-FILTER, the premium brand of global filtration expert MANN+HUMMEL, was awarded the German Design Award in the “Excellence Communications Design – Integrated Campaigns and Advertising” category. The award ceremony took place in Frankfurt on February 6, 2026. The focus of the award-winning “Naturally Better” campaign is on the new filters that use the renewable raw material lignin.
“This award means a lot to us,” says Mario Milinovic, MANN-FILTER Brand Manager. “It not only confirms the creative strength of our brand, but also our ambition to make sustainability visible and understandable. Instead of an additional product line, we have developed our existing products more sustainably – without compromising on quality and performance. The use of lignin as a renewable raw material in our cellulose media enables us to cut CO₂ emissions as a result of the lignin impregnation in production by up to five percent and reduce crude oil consumption by 27 percent*. With “Naturally Better”, we have succeeded in giving a complex topic an emotional edge – and, at the same time, clearly shown the performance of our products. We are proud of this recognition and appreciate the dedicated commitment of everyone involved. A special thanks goes to our creative agency FACT from Kirchheim/Teck, whose innovative ideas contributed significantly to the success of the campaign.” The campaign combines sustainability with consistent product performance – an approach that impressed the jury. The official jury statement says that the charismatic squirrel, as an identity-building motif, convinces with its emotionality and differentiation. Striking design, clear structure and the ability to address the target group result in a coherent communication solution that sets the standard for holistically thought-out design campaigns.
Lilian Dedio, project manager at the German Design Council, says: “With the “Naturally Better” campaign, MANN-FILTER is showing what credible sustainability communication can look like today. The combination of strong storytelling, a sympathetic key visual and a clear message creates high recognition and relevance. We were particularly impressed by how consistently interlinked the design, content and brand values were. It is precisely this holistic quality that we want to recognize with the German Design Award.”
