This is the first time Arkema's adhesives have won a prize from the prestigious Pierre Potier Prize, which recognises initiatives by the chemical industry to promote sustainable development.
Bostik has developed a modular adhesive system for flexible food-grade packaging that meets both food safety regulatory trends and a need to create solutions that contribute to more sustainable products. This innovation significantly improves the conventional manufacturing process for this type of food packaging by shortening the adhesive’s average setting time by a factor of two to three, for an equivalent level of performance, the company says.
Purbinder-CX, which is based on polyurethane technology, involves no formation of toxic substances considered carcinogenic (aromatic amines). It offers sterilisation resistance on various types of packaging, hence food products can keep longer (as with tin cans). Curing takes two to three days at ambient temperature, rather than seven to 10 days in a hot chamber, which helps reduce energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions.
The project took four years in total.
Armand Ajdari, Arkema group vice president, R&D, said: “Many congratulations to the R&D teams for their invention which brings genuine progress for our customers, while also making a major contribution to reducing the environmental impact of their products. A perfect illustration of Arkema’s strategy: to provide, through innovation in specialty materials, solutions for a more sustainable world.”
An explanatory video is available (French language with English subtitles).
