Positions and Publications

Given the significance of recycling within sustainable packaging practices, FEICA has compiled a list of frequently asked questions, offering additional insights on this subject and the role of adhesives in packaging recycling.

Flexible packaging offers lightweight and efficient protection for various products, ranging from food to consumer and industrial goods. Laminating adhesives are crucial in bonding both multi-material and mono-material flexible structures.

Given the significance of packaging recycling, FEICA has published a report that provides the current state of play of how laminating adhesives are reflected in design-for-recycling guidelines, as well as in sortability and recyclability testing for flexible plastic packaging.

Flexible packaging offers lightweight and efficient protection for various products, ranging from food to consumer and industrial goods. Laminating adhesives are crucial in bonding both multi-material and mono-material flexible structures.

Given the significance of packaging recycling, FEICA has published a report that provides the current state of play of how laminating adhesives are reflected in design-for-recycling guidelines, as well as in sortability and recyclability testing for flexible plastic packaging.

Read the FEICA Position Paper on surfactants need to manufacturing processes involving the use of adhesive and selants. Surfactants are critical to many application such as water-borne and solvent-based adhesive, sealants and primer.

Removal of surfactants from the market would result in unavailability of water-based adhesive and sealants too, impacting also all of those products that depends on the use of this technology. Sales of water-soluble polymer adhesives added up to a total 115,000 tonnes in 2023.

Read the FEICA Position Paper on the proposal from the European commission to introduce restrictions for group substances. As shown, such restrictions can cover very large groups of substances and mixtures that were not classified as hazardous, and therefore, had no labelling or declaration obligations before.

From the perspective of downstream users, restrictions on substances and mixtures that are not classified as hazardous require a sequential implementation process.

Fibre-based products, in particular paper and board, play an important part in packaging and printing industries. In addition, their biobased origin and high recycling rates provide tangible sustainability benefits. Many fibre-based product designs, in particular in the area of packaging, would not be possible without adhesives, which are used in, for example, corrugation, bag and box making and labelling.

In this paper, the place of adhesives in paper recycling is outlined. Then, existing design guidelines for fibre-based products are viewed with regards to adhesives and the treatment of adhesives in test methods and assessment schemes is considered. FEICA’s recommendations on the way to approach adhesives in paper and fibre-based recycling are also presented.

This guidance paper, published by the FEICA Paper & Packaging Working Group, aims at supporting adhesive producers and adhesive users in ensuring that the adhesive is safe in the intended application. It provides clarifications regarding assessing the risk of MOH migration from adhesives and, where testing is needed, performing the testing and evaluating the results. A decision tree is also included to help users evaluate adhesives for their intended application.

FEICA actively supports efforts to improve product efficiency and circularity to help create a more sustainable society. This FEICA Position paper discusses adhesives and sealants’ unique properties in the electronics sector and how adhesives and sealants enable electronics reusability, repairability and recyclability.

At the beginning of 2021, FEICA published a guide to align stakeholders on terminology and definitions to use for adhesives in plastic packaging recycling. This document has now been updated to also include paper packaging .

Several different stakeholders publish guidelines on recycling, including requirements for adhesives in recycling. Divergent terminology is used in these guidance papers, and this terminology also often differs from what is used in the adhesives industry and by users of adhesives.

In order to assist stakeholders in furthering a common understanding of adhesives and the requirements that are important for adhesives in recycling, FEICA published ‘Terminology and definitions to be used in the context of adhesives in the recycling of packaging’.

A common language and technically sound definitions will help to ensure a better understanding amongst stakeholders and an easier exchange of expertise.

This guidance paper supports adhesive producers and adhesive users in ensuring that the adhesive is safe in the intended application. It provides clarifications regarding assessing the risk of MOH migration from adhesives and, where testing is needed, performing the testing and evaluating the results. Note this document is a translation which is provided by FEICA merely for information purposes. The original and official FEICA Guidance paper is in English and can be consulted here.