Adhesives supplier H.B. Fuller has announced a strategic partnership with Covestro, one of the world’s largest polymer suppliers, to deliver an adhesive with a reduced climate impact for the woodworking, composites, textiles, nonwovens and automotive industries.

The new ingredient used in H.B. Fuller’s adhesive is a bio-attributed raw material created via a mass balance approach and will replace a proportion of previous fossil raw materials. Renewable raw materials are used as feedstock at the very beginning of the value chain and processed together with fossil-based ingredients in the same production units. The characteristic of the renewable feedstock process is then attributed to the end-product.

The use of an equivalent amount of the alternative feedstock is guaranteed by Covestro through a third party verified certification method. By gradually converting its production to alternative raw materials and working with reliable partners, who in turn collaborate with many certified suppliers, Covestro aims to replace fossil materials and make its value chains more sustainable.

H.B. Fuller is able to use the new drop-in solution immediately in its existing manufacturing processes without any technical conversion. No adjustments are required at its customers’ facilities either. Product quality is in no way inferior to conventional counterparts, but the lower attributed CO2 footprint makes products more sustainable. In fact, the company has made sure that its customers’ own products and processes will not be compromised in any way. The ‘reformulation’ of the reactive hot melt adhesive has no impact on its performance, nor on their customers’ own manufacturing and can be treated in exactly the same way as the product it replaces.

“We are excited to supply H.B. Fuller as our first customer for adhesive applications with a mass-balanced product,” says Dr Thorsten Dreier, Head of Coatings and Adhesives at Covestro. “With the increased use of such alternative raw materials, we want to become less dependent on petrochemical feedstocks and contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions. Alternative raw materials are part of a comprehensive program to work with our partners to drive the transition to a Circular Economy and ultimately become fully circular ourselves.”

www.hbfuller.com

www.covestro.com