After two postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 World Adhesive and Sealant Conference (WAC 2022) was held in April. More than 1,250 industry professionals from 26 countries had the opportunity to come together in Chicago, make meaningful connections, and build opportunities for long-term growth.

The concept of sustainability has evolved to become one of society’s key megatrends, and companies in all industries—including adhesives and sealants—are striving to reach aggressive goals to reduce their carbon footprints. It can be a tricky process to maneuver, as sometimes overwhelming options and myriad buzzwords often make it difficult for companies to determine the best course of action for their business.

Additive manufacturing/3D printing has grown into a $14 billion industry since its inception, according to McKinsey, and the market’s annual growth rate is 22%. Many can agree on the potential 3D printing has when it comes to innovation and being able to create prototypes and items with minimal material use, but its value is extending beyond that original purpose.

Adhesives will play a defining role in the future of packaging development, with the post-COVID marketplace providing a spur to sustainable technology. In 2021, the packaging industry is estimated to have consumed 5.40 million metric tons of adhesives. A forecast CAGR of 3.4% will push global consumption of packaging adhesives to 7.90 million metric tons in 2027.

medmix has launched the new MIXPAC™ greenLine 50 mL B‐System Set, its first cartridge made from 100% post‐consumer recycled polypropylene (PCR PP). 

Henkel Adhesive Technologies recently announced that CRDC Global Limited is the winner of the Seal the Cycle initiative.

BASF recently announced that it has developed adhesives that do not interfere with the recycling of paper labels on transport boxes, such as paperboard and cardboard boxes. 

The pandemic drove increased demand for packaging and created significant stresses on the packaging value chain, but it didn’t reduce the focus on sustainability. The industry has had to meet the various challenges of the pandemic while continuing to make progress toward a circular packaging economy.

In collaboration with ChileGlobal Ventures, the venture capital arm of Fundación Chile, Henkel Chile has launched the global Seal the Cycle initiative to find technological solutions for plastic waste. The goal of the initiative is innovation in separating high-density polyethylene (HDPE) from silicone waste to enable the recycling of cartridges that cannot currently be reprocessed.

Sustainable bonding requires combining the highest possible certified bio-based raw material content in the adhesives, low maintenance and energy requirements in the bonding process, high compatibility of the adhesives with existing application systems, and, especially in the packaging industry, high compatibility in terms of downstream paper recycling. All of this must be achieved at competitive prices.