Pack Expo Poll Confirms Importance of Sustainable Adhesives

Published: February 09, 2009

PHILADELPHIA, PA | Specialty materials company Rohm and Haas has announced the results of a poll that confirms the increasing importance and role of sustainable adhesives for companies using and making laminated flexible packaging. Rohm and Haas conducted the wide-ranging poll at the recent Pack Expo in Chicago, surveying consumer goods companies, packagers, package designers, converters, materials suppliers, and machinery manufacturers.

“Results confirmed that sustainability is very important to their businesses and environmentally advanced waterbased and solventless laminating adhesives are indispensable to meeting their sustainability goals,” says Nancy Smith, North American Region commercial development manager for Packaging Adhesives. Sustainability was a prominent theme at the 45,000-person event in early November, with standing room only as Wal-Mart representatives spoke about the industry leader’s continuing push for greener packaging.

Poll results overwhelmingly confirmed that respondents are not only concerned about emissions from their operations–more than six in ten indicated concern–but also that more than half already have VOC emission caps in place. Eight in ten respondents felt that adhesive laminated flexible packaging was a technology that helped achieve sustainability goals, with more than six in ten indicating that waterborne adhesives and inks also helped meet these objectives. If purchasing new equipment, more than two-thirds would choose machinery that runs waterborne, solvent-free, or solventless inks and adhesives. Just 15 percent would choose equipment that runs solvent-borne materials.

Poll results also showed that barriers to sustainable flexible packaging adhesives are perceived rather than real. “Perceptions remain that replacing solvent-based options with environmentally advanced adhesives will slow runs, require different machinery, deliver lower performance or affect packaging appearance, but most respondents refuted those statements,” Smith says. “Many indicated that they knew environmentally advanced options achieve high performance and excellent appearance with little change in line speed or equipment.”

Other suppliers also may find these results of interest. “Machine manufacturers and ink makers may find this data useful because it helps quantify what their laminated flexible packaging customers need now and in the future,” Smith comments.