Supporting sustainability goals while maintaining reliable adhesive performance.

Challenge

With rising impacts of climate change and the global push toward a circular economy, companies are under growing pressure to adopt more sustainable practices. New regulations and customer expectations require reduced carbon footprints, improved recyclability, and safer production processes. For the adhesive industry, this creates a complex challenge. Manufacturers must maintain strong performance across a variety of applications while also delivering measurable environmental benefits. At the same time, companies need to make credible and verifiable sustainability claims, adding another layer of scrutiny to material selection and product development.

Innovation

Kraton pine chemicals, derived from renewable byproducts of the paper and pulp industry, provide the foundation of a bio-based portfolio designed to reduce environmental impact. These materials are used to produce high-quality tackifiers that offer strong adhesion and broad compatibility with a wide range of polymers.

These solutions are suitable for hot-melt, solvent-based, and water-based adhesive technologies, supporting applications such as packaging, tapes, labels, and flooring adhesives. The portfolio delivers reduced cradle-to-gate environmental impact while incorporating ISCC PLUS certified renewable content. Backed by deep R&D expertise and targeted innovation, these materials address evolving regulatory requirements while maintaining the performance standards required by adhesive formulators.

Key Findings

A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment shows that the CO2 captured by pine trees during the early phase of the product life cycle exceeds the emissions generated during production. This results in a substantial negative cradle-to-gate carbon footprint for Kraton’s bio-based tackifiers. In addition, these materials can contain up to 95% ISCC PLUS certified renewable content. Adhesives formulated with our solutions can also be compatible with paper recycling systems, supporting improved environmental outcomes when evaluated through ISO-certified life cycle assessments.