As sustainability reshapes the wall-decoration market, environmental performance is becoming as important as print quality. The wall-decoration industry is evolving beyond aesthetics. Creativity, customisation and print quality remain important purchasing criteria. However, sustainability is rapidly becoming a decisive factor for architects, interior designers, brands, printers and end users.
“WallStar® Digital Essential is rooted in Ahlstrom’s commitment to responsible raw material sourcing”
Consumers increasingly expect products that not only enhance interior spaces, but also align with their environmental values. According to the European Commission’s 2025 Eurobarometer survey, 85% of Europeans consider climate change to be a serious problem, while 81% support the EU’s objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.1 Furthermore, 85% believe climate action should be a priority to improve public health and quality of life.
Sustainability is also increasingly influencing purchasing decisions. PwC’s 2024 Global Voice of the Consumer Survey covers more than 20,000 consumers across 31 countries. The report found that 80% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably produced goods. They reported an average willingness to pay a 9.7% premium for products with stronger sustainability credentials.2
Within interior decoration, sustainability extends beyond visual appeal. Growing attention is being paid to the environmental and health impacts of building materials. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. Here, concentrations of certain pollutants can be two to five times higher than outdoor levels.3 As a result, low-emission materials, low VOC products, reduced use of fossil resources and improved indoor air quality have become important decision factors in both residential and commercial projects.
At the same time, sustainability is moving from a market expectation to a regulatory requirement. The revised European Construction Products Regulation – entered into force in 2025 – places greater emphasis on environmental transparency. It introduces requirements related to environmental performance reporting, carbon footprint data and Digital Product Passports for construction products.4 Manufacturers are increasingly expected to demonstrate the environmental impact of their products throughout their lifecycle.
Against this backdrop, the digital wall-covering industry faces a key challenge. How can it combine outstanding print performance with a lower environmental footprint? To address this need, Ahlstrom developed WallStar® Digital Essential. This is a new generation of premium, non-woven, wall covering substrates. The substrates are engineered through renewable and recycled raw materials, circular sourcing and a PVC-free design.
“WallStar® Digital Essential incorporates a unique recycled binder technology”
At Ahlstrom, sustainability is not simply a product attribute. It is embedded in the company’s purpose of ‘purifying and protecting, with every fibre, for a sustainable world’. Sustainability serves as a guiding principle for how Ahlstrom innovates, sources raw materials and develops solutions for its customers. The company is a global leader in fibre-based speciality materials. Ahlstrom is committed to advancing circularity, reducing environmental impact and helping customers meet their own sustainability objectives without compromising performance.
This philosophy drove the development of WallStar® Digital Essential. The product is a premium non-woven wall-covering substrate range designed to reduce environmental impact without compromising performance.
The development of WallStar® Digital Essential is rooted in Ahlstrom’s commitment to responsible raw material sourcing. The cellulose content is derived from FSC-certified virgin pulp. The pulp is a renewable material sourced from responsibly managed forests. FSC certification supports traceability across the value chain. Meanwhile, studies indicate that virgin pulp production can generate approximately 7% lower carbon emissions than recycled pulp production under certain conditions.5
A second pillar of the range is the use of 100% recycled synthetic content. The recycled synthetic fibres used in WallStar® Digital Essential are sourced predominantly from post-consumer PET bottles. Thanks to well-established collection and recycling streams, recycled PET fibres can deliver carbon footprint savings estimated at around 70% compared with virgin PET production.5
The innovation extends beyond fibres. WallStar® Digital Essential incorporates a unique recycled binder technology developed by the company’s partner Shark Solutions. Produced from post-consumer laminated glass – recovered from automotive windshields and building glass – the binder helps divert waste from landfill. Additionally, it significantly reduces reliance on fossil-based raw materials. According to environmental data provided by Shark Solutions, the recycled binder generates up to 2.6 times lower CO₂ emissions than the conventional synthetic binders typically used.6
Another important sustainability focused design choice was the elimination of titanium dioxide (TiO₂). While commonly used in non-woven materials to enhance whiteness and opacity, TiO₂ is also associated with a high carbon footprint. By replacing this component, Ahlstrom further reduced the environmental impact of the range without compromising the visual and printing properties expected by customers.
Beyond carbon reduction, sustainability considerations were integrated throughout the product design. WallStar® Digital Essential contains no optical brightening agents, is PVC-free and therefore contains no vinyl chloride or phthalates. The range is also formaldehyde-free and low in VOC emissions. As a result, healthier indoor environments are supported and meet growing market expectations regarding indoor air quality.
Importantly, sustainability has not come at the expense of performance. WallStar® Digital Essential delivers the characteristics demanded by both printers and end users. These include a soft textile touch, high dimensional stability, excellent opacity and thickness. In addition, WallStar® Digital Essential offers good whiteness with a uniform shade and outstanding printability across major digital-printing technologies. The range is also fully compatible with paste-the-wall installation. This offers easy application, excellent appearance on the wall and clean removability.
WallStar® Digital Essential combines renewable raw materials, recycled content, circular economy principles and premium technical performance. As a result, WallStar® Digital Essential demonstrates that sustainability and functionality no longer need to be competing priorities. Instead, they can work together to create the next generation of wall-covering substrates for a market that increasingly expects both.
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