How Adhesives Help Boost Sustainability Across All Markets

The automotive, general transportation and aerospace markets in particular have faced pressures to improve fuel efficiency, lowering CO2 emissions in doing so.

One of the solutions has been to make lighter weight materials out of composites.

• Composites in Automotive and General Transportation: Traditionally used under the hood and in cabin interiors, composites offer a lighter, safer and more fuel-efficient option over steel. Composed of high performance fiber (such as carbon or glass), composites also offer improved stiffness and strength over historically-used materials, like steel.

• Composites in Aerospace: Composites for aircraft interiors are used in sandwich panels especially. A lightweight option, composites provide enhanced durability and strength. They also are not prone to rust or corrosion.

Adhesives are used in the manufacturing and bonding of composite structures. They offer increased, uniform strength throughout the material without adding weight. Adhesives also do not damage the materials, like traditional nuts, bolts and other mechanical fasteners.

The tape and label market in particular has adapted to pressures to decrease material waste. There are reports that up to 400,000 tons of label release liners end up in landfills annually. Ideal for certain applications, linerless labels offer a solution to this problem.

Linerless labels are wound on a roll that has a release coating applied to the front of the facestock, eliminating the need for a liner. In addition to reducing material waste, linerless labels also offer cost savings. These include:

• More labels per pallet (meaning lower transportation costs)
• More labels per roll (less downtime)
• Lower disposal costs and a smaller warehouse footprint.

Adhesives are essential in linerless labels’ construction and functionality. Additionally, they are able to bond to a variety of substrates, including highly recycled content and low energy surfaces.

The packaging market in particular has addressed environmental concerns to boost reusability and recycling. For example, flexible packaging’s stand up and flat pouches offer additional functionality such as:

• Spouts
• Straws
• Zippers

Additionally, flexible packaging can have resealable functionality. These features help increase flexible packaging’s reusability, reducing the need for additional packaging.

Rigid packaging has also adapted to recyclability demands. It now manufactures more highly recycled corrugated material. According to Recycling Today, corrugated packaging can be made from 100% new fiber, 100% recycled fiber or a blend. This helps ensure a consistent and sustainable supply.

Adhesives help in the manufacturing of flexible and rigid packaging products. For example, adhesives create the resealable functionality in many food products in particular. This helps reduce waste, preserve freshness and allow for easy transport.

Certain adhesives are able to bond to difficult-to-adhere-to substrates, such as highly recycled corrugated stock. This helps enable environmentally friendly packaging production.

A major push in the construction market especially has been to improve energy efficient buildings. To address this issue, the market has made adaptations to certain building materials. For example, triple-glazed windows are one new way to prevent heat from leaving buildings.

High performance sealants help in addressing the need to boost energy efficient buildings. According to energy.gov, properly sealing around doors and windows in particular can reduce heating and cooling costs. Furthermore, sealing improves building durability and prevents against water damage.

Bostik manufactures adhesive solutions that are designed to address these concerns, making them efficient, fast, safe and high-performing. For more information on our smart adhesives, call 800-7-BOSTIK, or visit www.bostik.com/us.

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