Henkel's Pattex brand of contact adhesive ... toluene-free.
Henkel’s contact adhesives go green
01 September 2011
HENKEL, a global leader in adhesives and sealants, says it has replaced the solvent toluene in all of its contact adhesives for consumers around the world.
The move to replace toluene in adhesives is in line with Henkel’s commitment to eco-leadership and sustainable development, says a company spokesman.
“Toluene is an organic solvent and is a safe product, if used as directed. However toluene and toluene containing blends of solvents have proven to be highly attractive to sniffing addicts,” he says. “Also, toxicological properties of solvents containing toluene are closely observed by industrial and craftsmen clients from an occupational health and safety point of view.”
Toluene acts mainly on the central nervous system causing neurological and irreversible after-effects, leading in extreme cases to death. The intentional inhalation of toluene in adhesives represents a serious public health problem, with high-risk groups being mainly young people and children, and particularly in the poor, marginalised communities where there is easy access to this type of adhesive.
“Henkel’s objective was to stop using toluene and to develop an alternative product that could achieve the same (or better) product performance but causes less health problems,” he says. “Henkel’s policy is to replace solvent-based products with solvent-free products, wherever possible.”
Hence, the company has changed its formulations for contact cements (which is a general-purpose contact adhesive, particularly used in woodworking and for assembling plastic laminates, attaching Moquette, rubber, leather to each other or to rigid materials such as plywood, chipboard, metal sheets, plastic sheets, wall panels, cork and furniture) and created a toluene-free solvent that satisfied price/performance considerations and other client and government concerns.
For more than 130 years, Henkel has been working towards achieving sustainable development. “Sustainability is a firm component of our corporate culture, and our commitment is reflected in our corporate values,” says the spokesman.
“Innovation is what drives our business. Whether consumer, craftsmen or industrial user, we provide superior solutions and innovative technologies. We do this by working very closely with our customers not only to focus on their current needs but also to understand the challenges which their businesses will face in the future,” he says. “We utilise all the resources of research and development (R&D) information available from around the world in our endeavour to secure the sustainable success of our company.”
Headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, Henkel has about 48,000 employees worldwide and counts among the most internationally aligned Germany-based companies in the global marketplace. Henkel has three globally operating business sectors: laundry and home care, cosmetics/toiletries and adhesive technologies.
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