Our History
On our journey to becoming one of the world’s leading providers of innovative and sustainable polymer solutions, we have overcome many challenges throughout our 80-year history. We look back with pride on our remarkable achievements.
Discover our company history. Learn how the company evolved from a small business into a global player and for which markets RENOLIT produces plastic films and polymer solutions.
RENOLIT in Short
Founded due to a shortage of leather
In the 1920s, Jakob Müller manufactured small leather goods in Kirn, the “Leather City.” What began with the sale of small leather goods evolved into Europe’s largest leather processor by 1927. During World War II, however, there was a shortage of leather and hides for production. A solution was offered by the BASF chemical plant in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. There, IGelit was produced, a white powder that could be processed into a leather-like product and later became known as “PVC.” Jakob Müller recognized the potential and, together with the Heyl industrial family, founded RENOLIT-Werke GmbH in Worms on May 4, 1946.
The Headquarters: Worms
After the company was founded on the site of the former Heyl leather factory in Worms, the cornerstone for today’s headquarters on Horchheimer Straße was laid in 1956. Two years later, production of PVC and polyethylene products began there. Since then, the plant has been continuously expanded and modernized. By 2030, RENOLIT will have merged the Worms and Frankenthal sites into one location in Worms. To this day, Worms remains the center of the global corporate group and its largest production site.
Born in Worms, at home in the world
From a regional supplier to a global production network: RENOLIT set the course for its global presence early on. As early as 1950, the company established sales structures in major European cities and tapped into its first export markets in Europe. Today, the family-owned company is represented at over 30 locations worldwide. Local expertise, standardized production processes, and international expansion ensure consistently high quality and form the foundation for further growth in dynamic markets.
A Strong Team
The number of employees at RENOLIT has grown in tandem with the company’s positive development. The company started in 1946 with ten employees. The workforce expanded as the company internationalized. RENOLIT currently employs around 5,000 people worldwide. Growth, innovation, and internationalization are thus inextricably linked to the number of employees.
From Leather Substitutes to Polymer Solutions
In the 1940s and 1950s, synthetic leather films, rubber soles, and IGelit shoes dominated the market. With the economic upswing, upholstery films, floor coverings, and leisure products expanded the portfolio. Since the 1970s, the strategic focus has been on technical films. Today, RENOLIT offers innovative, sustainable polymer solutions for home & garden, furniture, advertising, wind energy, and the automotive industry. A particular focus is on the healthcare market: RENOLIT Healthcare is set to be established as an independent company by the end of 2027.
Progress and Change in Production
Production at RENOLIT evolved from manual processes in the postwar period to highly automated processes. Initially, PVC and plasticizers were processed by hand, until a technological breakthrough was achieved in 1950 with the introduction of the first calender for continuous film production. Today, modern extrusion and calendering lines characterize the manufacturing process. Significant investments in international locations ensure efficiency, quality, and global competitiveness.
The Origin of the Name RENOLIT
A name with origins and meaning: The name “RENOLIT” directly refers to the company’s beginnings. While “LIT” clearly derives from the plastic IGelit, with which production began in 1946, the origin of “RENO” is a matter of interpretation. In addition to being derived from the nearby Rhine, the connection to the leather substitute “Reno” is considered particularly likely. Thus, the combination refers to the origins of the plastics expertise that RENOLIT stands for today and which is reflected in a wide range of applications.
A Strong Brand
The logo is the central visual identifier of the RENOLIT brand. A black “r” in a blue rectangle, with the RENOLIT lettering above it. This is what the logo looked like for decades starting in 1950. In 2006, it was updated for the modern era with new colors and a new font. Three years later, the logo was supplemented with the brand claim “Rely on it.” The claim shows what really matters at RENOLIT: reliable products and service based on partnership. Today, the RENOLIT brand stands for reliability, innovation, sustainability, and partnership, setting itself apart from other market players.
Shaping the Future of Polymers
At RENOLIT, innovation is a central component of the corporate strategy and drives sustainable growth. It encompasses the development of new materials, technologies, and business models. Using a structured approach to corporate innovation, new opportunities are identified, prioritized, and translated into concrete applications in collaboration with the market units. In this way, RENOLIT strengthens its innovative power and continuously taps into new growth potential.
Sustainability: Strategically Embedded
In 2013, RENOLIT launched the RESPONSIBILITY³ initiative to consolidate measures and develop a sustainability concept. Since 2014, the company has published a sustainability report covering the previous year. A lot has happened at RENOLIT since then. Today, sustainability is firmly anchored in both the corporate strategy and the mission statement. The sustainability strategy encompasses the three dimensions of “People, Planet, Profit.”
Timeline – 80 Years of RENOLIT
1946 – 1955: The Rebuilding
After World War II, large parts of Germany lay in ruins, but Jakob Müller was lucky: Not far from Worms, his leather goods factory in the small town of Kirn had weathered the war years well. However, production often ground to a halt because leather was in short supply. The chemical company BASF in nearby Ludwigshafen came to the rescue. There, they produced IGelit, a white powder that could be processed into a leather substitute, and would later rise to become a leading plastic known as “PVC.” Jakob Müller recognized the product’s potential and, in 1946, launched the RENOLIT success story at the Cornelius Heyl AG leather works in the midst of bombed-out Worms. The year 1950 marked a decisive technological step with the commissioning of the first calender. This is a machine that shapes plastic using heated rollers. It remains the heart of production to this day. As early as the following year, a second calender was installed at the Worms site to meet growing demand.
1956 – 1965: The Boom
During the years of the “Economic Miracle,” the global economy grew by more than seven percent in some cases. In West Germany, production and exports were booming. The number of children was also on the rise: 1964 saw the highest birth rate on record. The many young families needed homes and furniture, and a large number could now afford their own cars; by 1965, more than nine million passenger cars were already registered in the Federal Republic of Germany. RENOLIT responded to the exploding demand, expanded, and broadened its product range. The new headquarters in Worms laid an important foundation for the future.
1966 – 1975: A Spirit of Optimism and Upheaval
In 1968, RENOLIT set new standards with the commissioning of a six-color printing press for films over two meters wide, making it the largest of its kind in the world. In 1971, RENOLIT celebrated its 25th anniversary, and Jakob Müller became known throughout Germany as a successful industrialist. When massive increases in crude oil prices triggered the oil crisis and a recession in industrialized nations in 1973, the post-war boom came to an end. RENOLIT weathered the crisis well: in 1975, the company achieved a new record profit of 18 million DM.
1976 – 1985: The generational transition
The 1976 fiscal year was overshadowed by the death of company founder Jakob Müller. After thirty years of growth, RENOLIT underwent a generational transition. The increasing international interconnectedness of the global economy and low-cost imports from Asia prompted the company to reorient itself in certain areas. Additionally, the development of machinery and materials in the plastics industry required professional training for production employees. And last but not least, computers made their debut in Worms, heralding the IT transition throughout the entire company.
1986 – 1995: Consolidation
Thanks to its modernized machinery, RENOLIT achieved record profits in the mid-1980s. The introduction of the seven-day workweek in 1988 provided a further boost. For the first time, the machines ran through the weekend, which lowered energy costs and reduced waste. In the same year, the company once again demonstrated its innovative strength and became the first and for years the only manufacturer to begin producing 3D films that could be applied seamlessly around corners and curves. The strong performance continued throughout the decade as the world changed: in 1989, the Wall between East and West fell; in 1992, Europe and its economy grew closer with the founding of the European Union, a boon for international companies like RENOLIT. Changes in corporate policy toward the end of the decade laid the foundation for the company’s transformation into a global player.
1996 – 2005: Internationalization
Fifty years after RENOLIT was founded, Karl Meirer, one of the company’s leading figures, stepped down. In the new decade, the company thus made a decisive shift in its strategy: whereas RENOLIT’s policy had previously been to grow solely through its own efforts, new markets were now being tapped through acquisitions. In Europe, the newly introduced euro, effective from 2002, facilitated trade and production across national borders. To this end, RENOLIT also began establishing more sales and production facilities on other continents. Technologically, RENOLIT also focused on new innovations and commissioned the first extrusion line in Worms to produce PVC-free films made of methacrylate. These films are used worldwide under a wide variety of climatic conditions.
2006 – 2015: RENOLIT, the Global Player
2006 was a game-changer: RENOLIT acquired the film division of the Belgian conglomerate Solvay. The company, which had grown enormously as a result, expanded strategically into new markets and weathered the global financial and economic crisis of 2008–2009 well despite the significant investments: By 2011, RENOLIT was ranked among the 20 most successful “hidden champions” in Germany. In this decade, as awareness of the climate crisis, microplastics, and resource waste grew, one topic gained particular significance: sustainability.
2016 – present: Global expansion and shaping the future
Since 2016, RENOLIT has been looking resolutely toward the future. A generational change within the owner family, as well as targeted investments in a state-of-the-art training center in Worms, strengthened the company from within. Internationally, expansion continued: In 2018, RENOLIT Chile SpA was opened, thereby tapping into new markets throughout South America, and a joint venture for the production of geomembranes was established in India. Even the global challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020, could not slow down the long-term growth trajectory. On the contrary: In 2022, the RENOLIT Group achieved record revenue of 1.366 billion euros. In 2025, the project to merge the Worms and Frankenthal sites at the headquarters began, and a new plant was inaugurated in Yingde, China. To strengthen its market position in the Indian geomembrane market, RENOLIT is also building a new plant in Pune, with production set to begin in mid-2026. With this clear focus and continuous investment, RENOLIT is positioning itself as an adaptable, globally active company poised for a successful future.
