HB Fuller partners with Covestro to develop sustainable adhesives

HB Fuller announced a strategic partnership with Covestro to provide a climate-reducing adhesive for the woodworking, composites, textiles and automotive industries
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Inaki Sigler, Global Product Manager, Woodworking and Composites at HB Fuller, said: "We urgently need to reduce CO2 emissions and take care of the world around us, as do our customers
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This motivates us to constantly explore new ways to reduce the environmental impact of our products footprint and encourage our supply chain to do the same
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Together with our partner Covestro, we see this new strategic product development as an investment in all of our futures and a commitment to a more sustainable world
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”

The new ingredient used in the HB Fuller adhesive is a bio-based raw material manufactured through a mass balance method that will replace a portion of the previous fossil raw material
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Renewable raw materials are used as raw materials at the very beginning of the value chain and are processed together with fossil raw materials in the same production unit
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The characteristics of the renewable feedstock process are reflected in the final product
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Dr.
Thorsten Dreier, Head of Coatings and Adhesives at Covestro, said: "We are delighted to offer HB Fuller as our first adhesive application customer a quality-balanced product
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"

“As the use of such alternative raw materials increases, we want to reduce our reliance on petrochemical feedstocks and contribute to reducing CO2 emissions
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Alternative raw materials are part of a comprehensive plan to work with our partners to drive the transition to a circular economy, ultimately form a complete cycle
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"

Covestro's third-party validated certification method guarantees the use of equivalent amounts of alternative raw materials
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Gradually converting its production to alternative raw materials and working with reliable partners who in turn cooperate with many certified suppliers, Covestro aims to replace fossil materials and make its value chain more sustainable
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As previously mentioned, independent third-party certification ensures that raw material balances, distribution methods and raw material sourcing meet specified sustainability standards
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HB Fuller was able to use the new plug-in solution immediately in its existing manufacturing process without any technology conversion and no adjustments to its customers' facilities
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The product quality is in no way inferior to conventional counterparts, but the lower CO2 footprint makes the product more sustainable
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In fact, the company has ensured that its customers' own products and processes are not affected in any way
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"Reformulation" of reactive hot melt adhesives does not affect its performance, nor does it affect the customer's own manufacturing, and can be handled in exactly the same way as the product it replaces
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The new solution represents an evolution of previous sustainable product development and may expand to other product and production areas
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Inaki Sigler said: "We believe that whatever approach is taken to reduce CO2 emissions, no matter how small, should be accepted, as many tiny steps can lead to powerful economies of scale and huge leaps for the adhesive industry
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"

Both companies believe that the strategic agreement and innovation process that they are currently launching together can play an important role in driving the circular economy forward, reducing carbon emissions, and replacing limited resource extraction with some renewable raw materials
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