Bio-based adhesives make engineered wood even more sustainable

Case study: The DERIX group pioneers LOCTITE ECO

When Henkel’s biobased PUR adhesive was ready in October 2023, the sales team knew exactly who to approach: DERIX, a visionary timber company with a strong focus on circularity and sustainability. The DERIX group was the first on the market who pledged to take their wood products back at the end of the life-cycle.

The DERIX team was thrilled by the new product. They realized that a bio-based adhesive would be the next logical step in their sustainability journey. It would confirm their position as pioneers in the industry and would enable them to set new standards. They decided to use the LOCTITE HB S ECO for their range of cross-laminated timber products. 

And the beauty of it: Even though the raw material basis is bio-based rather than petro-based, the resulting adhesive is chemically 100% identical with its fossil-based counterpart. And that means: existing production equipment can be used without having to convert production facilities. The conversion is seamless and creates no additional certification cost. 

Being the first on the market to produce their engineered timber with the bio-based adhesive gives DERIX a head start in national and international construction projects while reducing their own CO₂ footprint as well.

How the engineered wood team drives Henkel’s innovation dynamics

Wood construction is one of the big trends in construction for the next decade. In fact, some industry insiders even talk about the dawn of a new wood age. Henkel captures the dynamics of this trend. Participating in the relevant committees and boards, and cooperating with universities, research institutes and certification bodies, we are always one step ahead of what is coming. This enables us to launch products that meet the requirements of the markets.  ​

​One example of these dynamics is a new adhesive that will master the fire tests of the future. We will be ready when the new EU fire safety standard for timber construction becomes effective in 2026/7.  The new adhesive retains its strength when a mass timber element is exposed to fire, so that it can be used for buildings with high fire standards like high rises. ​

​We also fine-tune our new products with machine and application equipment producers and customers. Our dedicated application team makes sure that our customers can optimize their processes to meet regulation requirements and produce efficiently. Our expert teams have a strong footprint in Europe and North America, with Latin America and Asia picking up fast.​

A glimpse of the future

The wood construction industry keeps evolving. New products and new shapes are being developed. New materials are bonded together. New types of wood are used or different combinations of these wood types. At the same time, regulations keep evolving, such as for example the new EU fire standard. Wood construction enters new geographies. All these dynamics motivate us to develop new solutions, and some of them beyond adhesives.

Digitalization will play a key role in future because it enables new products and services that will make the construction process more transparent and efficient. In the production process of timber components, for example, sensors will be able to monitor the bonding process and optimize production output. Our customers can integrate sensors inside the timber components to monitor their state: Are they still strong enough or is it time to exchange them? 

Our vision is simple and clear: We want the load-bearing timber construction segment to grow. So, our effort goes towards designing adhesives that strengthen the engineered wood segment as a versatile, future-oriented construction material and to expand its application globally.  

_{¹63% of the organic mass of the adhesive is linked to ISCC PLUS certified materials via mass balance using biocircular feedstock.
²Henkel internal cradle-to-gate LCA calculation including raw material, production, packaging, transportation.}