Dow’s new bio-based polyolefin elastomers secure carbon savings for Henkel’s hot melt adhesives

17 Feb 2021 --- Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics is expanding its high-performance Affinity GA polyolefin elastomers (POE) with the launch of bio-based Affinity RE.

Affinity RE has reportedly enabled chemical company Henkel’s Technomelt brand to minimize carbon footprint in its new Supra Eco hot melt adhesives range.

Elastomers are special polymers with high elasticity. Affinity RE is one of the first bio-based, high-performance polyolefin elastomers on the market, Dow indicates.

Affinity RE offers an alternative to fossil fuel-based products and reduces carbon footprint while delivering the same well-known performance as the entire Affinity GA range.

To achieve this, Affinity RE is made using bio-based feedstock such as tall oil – a by-product created by the paper-milling industry, ultimately sourced from sustainably-managed forests.

Mass balance certified
The Affinity RE production process is certified on a mass balance basis by the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC).

The Affinity RE range consists of three grades with 100 percent bio-based content on a mass balance basis, optimizing the carbon footprint of hot melt adhesives.Henkel’s adhesives require less raw material and are compatible with paper recycling streams.

“Consumers expect more sustainability from the products they use, and packaging is no exception. We want to support the industry not just to meet consumer expectations but proactively set ever higher sustainability ambitions,” says Imran Munshi, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics consumer marketing manager for EMEA.

“Consumers, brand owners, regulators and the industry are demanding change. The use of bio-based material in consumer goods and packaging has been identified as an important driver for sustainable sourcing and lever to reduce environmental footprint,” adds Jenna Koenneke, global head of market strategy for Consumer Good Adhesives at Henkel.

“With a leading position in sustainable solutions, Henkel has anticipated these demands and believes in the necessity of driving change within the industry. This can only be achieved through close collaboration with industry partners along the value chain.”

”When the opportunity came to work with Dow to bring to life this sustainable solution, we saw it as a chance and a responsibility toward the industry and consumers to offer the best quality adhesive for their packaging with the lowest environmental impact through our new Technomelt Supra Eco range.”Affinity RE offers an alternative to fossil fuel-based products and reduces carbon footprint.

Recycling-compatible adhesives
Henkel’s new high-performance hot melt adhesive range includes two grades with up to 98 percent bio-based content and provides a way to optimize the carbon footprint of end products and packaging.

The adhesives require less raw material to produce and are compatible with paper recycling streams.

In other Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics news, the business division recently launched its first post-consumer recycled-rich resin for collation shrink film in North America, which has since secured its first large-scale commercial use.

Meanwhile, Dow and Mr. Green Africa have expanded their partnership to tackle plastic waste in Kenya and advance a circular economy for flexible plastics across sub-Saharan Africa.

Edited by Joshua Poole