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挑戦

Adhesive formulators have long relied on rosin ester tackifiers for their superior tack and broad polymer compatibility. However, traditional rosin esters can exhibit natural variations in color and thermal stability, leading some formulators toward fossil-based hydrocarbon alternatives. While hydrocarbons offer greater batch-to-batch consistency, they come at an environmental cost, a significantly higher carbon footprint.

This created a central dilemma for packaging manufacturers: how to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across their value chain while preserving crucial processing efficiency, food safety compliance, and long-term adhesive strength. The industry needed a lower-carbon solution tackifier that offered high performance without requiring trade-offs.

解決策

To bridge this gap, Kraton developed REvolution ™ Rosin Ester Technology, which is a bio-based alternative to fossil-derived tackifiers. This technology is derived from renewable paper and pulp industry by-products sourced from responsibly managed forests. REvolution delivers an exceptionally light color and high stability alongside traditional rosin ester performance. Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessments (LCAs) confirmed a lower Global Warming Potential compared with hydrocarbon-based alternatives.

To bring this innovation to market at scale, Kraton collaborated with Henkel and Dow. Henkel incorporated a proprietary blend of Kraton’s SYLVALITE ™ 2200 bio-based tackifiers, which boasts 97% USDA Certified bio-based content, and Dow’s AFFINITY ™ GA polyolefin elastomers. This combination powered Henkel’s TECHNOMELT® SUPRA 100 LE and TECHNOMELT® SUPRA 106M LE low-emissions packaging adhesives. In 2024, Henkel and Kraton established a multi-year supply partnership to scale access to REvolution technology, enabling broad commercial adoption.

影響

The resulting adhesive TECHNOMELT® formulations achieved a 25% reduction in cradle-to-gate carbon footprint compared with legacy products, with broader application potential offering up to 30% reduction in formulated adhesive emissions. Crucially, these environmental gains were achieved while fully maintaining required food safety standards, line processing efficiency, and adhesion integrity.

This effort answers a critical question for manufacturers asking how to meet ambitious corporate sustainability targets to prove that the bio-based materials are a viable, scalable alternative to fossil-based inputs in demanding commercial packaging applications.