Innovative packaging adhesives boost sustainability by combining low-temperature and bio-based technologies
Bio-based and energy-saving hotmelts for packaging
Sustainability
Packaging and Converting
Almost every product comes in packaging. Therefore, consumers are increasingly aware of the related environmental impact. It’s why regulators are launching strict rules to cut emissions, save material and support recycling of packaging. And it’s why companies are searching for cost-efficient and more sustainable packaging solutions. Adhesives that seal packaging offer big potential to meet these expectations. Some innovations use bio-based raw materials instead of ingredients from fossil fuels. Other adhesives save energy by bonding at low temperatures. Now, one pioneering product for packaging is combining both technologies: TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool!
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We collaborate with partners along the full value chain to understand their challenges and provide impactful solutions – like TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool.
With this innovation, we’re setting the benchmark for sustainable packaging adhesives that combine top performance with lower CO2 emissions.
Thomas Zuchowski, Principal Application Engineer Packaging & Labeling EIMEA, Henkel Adhesive Technologies
Packaging keeps products safe and hygienic. It protects goods during shipping and extends their shelf-life. And it carries information about safely using products – from medicines through to digital devices, furniture and much more. But packaging also generates CO₂ emissions from its raw materials and when it is made, sealed shut, transported and thrown away. Companies are now actively searching for ways to decrease those emissions at every step in the value chain. Some innovations make that possible for one specific area. But our latest innovation enables businesses to reduce emissions at two points in their value chain…
TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool is a hotmelt adhesive that combines bio-based and low-temperature technologies for packaging. It is empowering companies across industries to meet the expectations of consumers and regulators – while moving a big step closer toward achieving their goals and commitments for sustainability.
Want details about this breakthrough technology? Read more…
Bio just got cooler
This new adhesive combines the advantages of the Supra Eco and Cool product lines from Henkel’s TECHNOMELT brand of hotmelts. The Supra Eco range uses bio-based raw materials. The Cool range offers effective bonding at low temperatures. By combining these two market-tested technologies into one new adhesive, innovators at Henkel are making it possible for companies to reduce the CO₂ emissions footprint of their packaging at two points in the value chain: Raw materials and processing.
TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool achieves excellent results for a wide variety of applications including folding trays, cartons and wrap-around packaging. It is used for food and beverage packaging applications as well as in industries beyond. It is designed to offer compatibility with a range of different machine speeds and storage temperatures, while also ensuring strong bonds – even on the most challenging surfaces.
Technical teams at Henkel developed this polyolefin-based hotmelt in collaboration with customers from across industries. Our experts also worked side by side with packaging machinery manufacturers and paper producers to optimize this sustainable solution.
49 %
of the raw materials used to make TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool are directly bio-based. 1
40°C
lower temperatures than those for conventional hot-melt adhesives when TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool is applied. 2
32 %
lower CO2 emissions are generated by TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool compared to standard packaging adhesives. 3
Measurable contributions to sustainability
49 percent of the raw materials used to make TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool are directly bio-based. A further 30 percent of the materials in this product are certified as mass-balance bio-based in line with the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) criteria. The ISSC’s methodology aims to enable the transition away from fossil-derived raw materials by supporting higher demand for more sustainable product ingredients.
In addition, this product is suitable for processing at temperatures of 120 degrees Celsius instead of standard temperatures of between 160 and 180 degrees Celsius. That saves energy and can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 32 percent compared to premium polyolefin-based hotmelts. This corresponds to a saving of around 7,500 kilograms of CO2 per year.4 The low application temperature also improves safety for workers by reducing the risk of burns. And it is better for machines too – because the lower operating temperature decreases maintenance requirements.
But that’s not all! Many of Henkel’s hotmelt adhesives for packaging are also compatible with recycling processes for paper and do not negatively affect the quality of the recycled output materials. In fact, our TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool innovation is compatible with paper recycling processes and is certified as such by the cyclos-HTP institute, which has developed a science-based approach to verifying the recyclability of packaging. With so many sustainability advantages, TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool is gaining popularity among companies with ambitious goals for reducing their environmental impact. That includes Henkel – because we use this innovative hotmelt for the packaging of our own consumer adhesives in Düsseldorf.
1995472
cyclos-HTP Institute-certified Paper Recyclability Laboratory at the Inspiration Center Düsseldorf
cyclos-HTP Institute-certified Paper Recyclability Laboratory at the Inspiration Center Düsseldorf
cyclos-HTP Institute-certified Paper Recyclability Laboratory at the Inspiration Center Düsseldorf
cyclos-HTP Institute-certified Paper Recyclability Laboratory at the Inspiration Center Düsseldorf
Always innovating for people and the planet
What is the Mass Balance approach?
The Mass Balance approach aims to raise demand for sustainability-certified materials like renewable, bio-based or recycled ingredients. Right now, it is often challenging to keep certified and non-certified feedstock separate as they travel through complex value chains. In a Mass Balance approach, those materials are mixed together but it is possible to track the specific proportion of certified materials within the overall value chain via chain-of-custody documentation. In this way, Mass Balance schemes make it possible to use renewable and bio-based materials within existing processes, without additional investments or separate transportation. This is accelerating the transition to more sustainable industrial value chains.
Henkel has a long history of sustainability leadership and we are deeply committed to extending that track record. This breakthrough solution for packaging is the latest step forward for that commitment. It saves energy, cuts CO2 emissions and supports the transition to a circular economy. And it is helping our customers to meet the changing expectations of consumers and regulators, while moving closer toward their own sustainability goals.
By launching TECHNOMELT Supra 079 Eco Cool, we are further expanding our portfolio of sustainable solutions for the packaging industry. It follows high-impact technologies like our palletizing adhesives that eliminate the need for plastic-based stretch film to secure products to pallets and two adhesive solutions enabling the KeelClipTM design that replaces plastic rings or wrap with recyclable cardboard for multi-packs of beverage cans.
Looking ahead, creative thinkers in our global team will continue exploring the latest science to create next-generation solutions for packaging. That might involve pushing application temperatures further down or pushing the proportion of bio-based raw materials further up. It could also include enabling design innovations that support the switch from plastic to paper, from manual to automated applications or from analog to digital processes. Whatever comes next for the packaging industry, Henkel will be ready to supply state-of-the-art technologies and deep expertise to enable the shift to a more sustainable future.
4 Assuming annual adhesive consumption of seven tons and based on cradle-to-gate analysis of the product's carbon footprint (excluding the use phase and end-of-life emissions).
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