December 5, 2008

Survey Confirms Increasing Importance of Sustainable Adhesive

Rohm and Haas conducted a poll at the recent Pack Expo in Chicago and found that the role of sustainable adhesives is increasing for companies using and making laminated flexible packaging.

Eighty percent of respondents said they felt adhesive laminated flexible packaging was a technology that helped achieve sustainability goals and more than 60 percent indicated that waterborne adhesives and inks also helped meet these objectives. More than 60 percent of respondents indicated concern about emissions from their operations; over half of respondents said they already have VOC emission caps in place. Only 15 percent of respondents said they would choose equipment that runs solvent-borne materials.

The 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,” said Nancy Smith, North American region commercial development manager for Packaging Adhesives.

Earlier this year, Rohm and Haas partnered with the Natural Step International to implement sustainability across all its businesses and operations.

Last year, Rohm and Haas Company pledged to spend $150 million - roughly half of its 2007 R&D budget - for sustainability efforts.

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