Fraunhofer leads project developing bio-based adhesives for folding boxes

In Germany, folding boxes are considered sustainable packaging solutions for numerous everyday products – whether breakfast cereals, electronics, medicines, or perfumes. Made from paper and cardboard, folding boxes are resource-efficient in production, biodegradable, and easily recyclable. However, environmentally friendly adhesives are still lacking for completely sustainable manufacturing. Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP are developing and testing bio-based adhesives for the industrial production of folding boxes in the project Sustainable Gluing With Renewable Adhesives (SUGRA).

Dispersion adhesives made from synthetic polymers currently set the standard for the industrial production of folding boxes on high-speed production machines. Their disadvantage: they mainly consist of fossil raw materials. Researchers at Fraunhofer IAP want to change that. Together with partners from industry and science, they are working on bio-based adhesives made from renewable raw materials.