In cooperation with Borealis, Henkel has developed a new bottle based 100 per cent on recycled material for its Pattex Made-at-Home all-purpose adhesive, replacing the previously used virgin plastic materials with plastics made from household waste, so-called post-consumer recyclates (PCR).
Henkel is focussing on sustainability and wants to reduce the environmental impact of its own product packaging. Circular economy drive forward. Here, materials are collected after disposal and fed into new production processes. The company is also involved in various cross-industry initiatives such as the ‚New Plastics Economy‘ and CEFLEX in order to New solutions for the use of recycled plastics to make this possible. According to the company, the problem here is that these materials are often not available in sufficient quantity and quality or have undesirable properties; for example, recycled plastic can have undesirable odours that are sometimes transferred to the product.
The Henkel business sector Adhesive Technologies offers solutions in adhesives, sealants and functional coatings for numerous industrial segments as well as a wide range of packaged consumer adhesives under well-known brands such as Pattex, Loctite and Pritt.
„We wanted to prove that it is also possible in the consumer adhesives market, Packaging made from new plastics using recycled material to replace it,“ explains Matthias Schäfer, project manager for global packaging development at Henkel Adhesive Technologies. „We have used our 80 gram bottle of Pattex Made-at-Home all-purpose adhesive as a suitable Pilot project identified. In close cooperation with Borealis, we have developed a Recyclate-based plastic solution developed and tested, which fulfils all the material requirements for adhesive packaging without any compromises for the consumer.“
mtm plastics GmbH, part of the Borealis Group, developed the customised solutions for the use of PCR materials both for the bottle and for the three separate components of the adjustable application nozzle, which enables filigree or wide-area bonding as required. The new Pattex Made-at-Home packaging has successfully passed extensive application tests, including shelf life and mechanical properties.
Recyclates for demanding applications
„Increasing the circularity of plastics is becoming more and more important. Nevertheless, we still have to prove this within our industry, that the use of recyclates is a suitable and effective option even for demanding applications“, says Günter Stephan, Head of Borealis Circular Economy Solutions. „The collaboration with Henkel on the Pattex Made-at-Home adhesive packaging is strong proof of the importance of cooperation along the industrial value chain. Our extensive tests and validations show that the material all performance and cost criteria is fulfilled. It is available in sufficient quantities and has been proven to be suitable for use in various processes.”
The new Pattex Made-at-Home bottle was successfully launched on the European markets this year. Henkel Adhesive Technologies has already identified other consumer adhesives that will be tested for the use of recyclates in the near future. In the coming years, the division intends to use a significant amount of polyolefin plastics in its own packaging. with recycled material.
