With Earth Day approaching (April 22), it’s appropriate to think about ways to use eco-friendly adhesives in your products or manufacturing applications.
What makes an eco-friendly adhesive?
At Bond-Tech Industries, the demand for environmentally-friendly adhesives and glues has focused on two aspects:
- Reducing overall solvent content and improving cross-linking in the process
- Lowering solvent emissions and airborne particles emanating from the adhesive
Meanwhile, government regulations for “green” adhesives include:
- Toxicity levels
- Flammability
- Product storage
- Disposal methods (biodegradable adhesives)
The benefits of using eco-friendly products
Versus their regular counterparts, “green” glues are:
- Better for the environment
- Employee/operator friendly (less complaints about odours and fumes)
- Less harsh on your substrates
There’s a variety of “green” glues available with low VOC
More and more organizations are choosing “green” or sustainable glues because they have the same – or in many cases, more – mechanical strength than other products.
Some popular eco-friendly adhesives include:
- Solvent-free water based adhesives with low VOC
- Solvent-free hot melt adhesives with low VOC
- Naturally derived adhesives (Dextrins and other starch based glues)
- Low viscosity adhesives that are curable by UV
Water-based adhesives
When it comes to the environment, there’s nothing more natural or pure than water.
The same goes for water-based adhesives.
Many of which can be formulated to contain zero or minimal VOC’s, including:
- Dextrins
- Protein glues
- PVA glues
- PVOH glues
- Starch glues
- Natural rubber latex glues
These new, eco-friendly adhesives are being used in a variety of industries:
- Packaging
- Stair, Furniture and general woodworking
- Book Binding
- Product assembly
- Custom formulations
The “green” revolution is just getting started
The trend towards greener products has taken hold in every industry imaginable – including adhesive manufacturing.
At Bond Tech, we’re committed to developing environmentally-friendly products which deliver exceptional performance and reliability.
Want to know more about our products or services? Interested in having an adhesive audit to determine if you’re using the greenest glue possible?