H.B. Fuller and Covestro Join Forces to Make Adhesives More Sustainable
July 22, 2021 at 04:00 am
Share
H.B. Fuller announced a strategic partnership with Covestro, to deliver an adhesive with a reduced climate impact for the woodworking, composites, textiles 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 usage 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. As mentioned, the correct raw material balance, the allocation method, and the raw material sourcing – according to defined sustainability standards – is ensured via an independent third-party certification. 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. Both companies believe that the strategic agreement and the innovative process they are now launching together can play a major role in driving the circular economy forward, reducing carbonemissions and replacing the extraction of finite resources with partly renewable raw materials.
Covestro AG is one of the world's leading manufacturers of polymer materials. Its products are primarily used in the automotive, construction, electronics, furniture and textile industries. Net sales break down by family of products as follows:
- specialty products (50.5%): raw materials for coatings, adhesives and films;
- performance materials (47.8%): polyurethanes (flexible polyurethane foam mainly used in furniture, mattress and car seat upholstery, and rigid polyurethane foam used in the composition of building and refrigeration equipment insulation) and polycarbonates (high-performance polycarbonates used in automotive components, roof structures and medical devices);
- other (16.3%).
At the end of 2023, the group operated 48 production sites around the world.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Germany (12.1%), the United States (21.8%), China (21.4%) and other (44.7%).