The Industry
The adhesive and sealant industry in Europe
Source market information: FEICA/Smithers Market Report ‘European Adhesives and Sealants Market 2025-2030 - Facts & Figures 2025
A critical enabler of Europe’s industrial ecosystem
The European adhesives and sealants industry supports a wide range of downstream industries. In 2025, the industry contributed more than €20.7 billion to the European economy. Around 85% of adhesive and sealant companies in Europe are SMEs.
The sector is innovation-driven, with sustained investment in research and close cooperation with downstream industries. Around €580 million were spent on research and innovation in 2025, and companies spend on average 5–6% of sales turnover on R&D for technologically advanced products. This strong innovation base is reflected in ongoing work with research organisations, as shown in the FEICA and Fraunhofer IFAM publication ‘Adhesive Bonding Technology in the 21st Century – Synergy of Technological and Ecological Potentials’, which explores the role of adhesive bonding in modern industrial applications. Adhesives and sealants, as advanced materials, are deliberately developed to deliver specific functional properties, enabling innovation across a wide range of industrial value chains.
With the inclusion of imports, Europe uses around 5 million tonnes of adhesives and sealants each year. The industry offers a very broad product range, with more than 250,000 different products in strategic industries such as energy, healthcare, and construction.
Europe also maintains strong expertise in adhesive bonding and sealing technologies, supported by industrial know-how, innovation capacity, standards, and skills. Preserving this capability is important for resilient supply chains, fair competition, and continued value creation across strategic manufacturing sectors. In turn, all this supports Europe’s broader industrial base, long-term competitiveness, and strategic autonomy.
Adhesives and sealants are an economically significant EU industrial sector
Strong SME base and high R&D intensity
Advanced materials underpinning multiple value chains
Smart Bonds, for a Sustainable and Strong Europe
Smart Bonds is an initiative by FEICA to highlight the essential but often overlooked role of adhesives and sealants in Europe’s economy and sustainability transition.
Across sectors such as construction, mobility, energy and packaging, adhesives and sealants enable lighter, more durable and more resource-efficient products. They are a key enabler of circular solutions, supporting repair, reuse and high-quality recycling, and contribute to the competitiveness of Europe’s downstream industries.
Through Smart Bonds, FEICA aims to build understanding of how the adhesives and sealants industry contributes to the EU’s strategic priorities, including circularity, innovation, and industrial resilience. The initiative brings together data, examples and insights to inform policymakers and stakeholders about the sector’s role across critical value chains.
