Actega removes harmful substances from ACTEbond adhesives

Stephanie Dahmen, team lead of technical service adhesives at Actega, commented: ‘Safeguarding consumer health is always a top priority when developing our products. When it comes to applications that will have contact with foods, we painstakingly investigate the safety of the relevant raw materials and use only materials that verifiably comply with food regulations such as FDA and EU directives. As such, the eradication of BPA and Epoxysilane from our laminating adhesives range is a further step forward in adhering to the highest standards in packaging food safety and, therefore, a significant milestone for both Actega and our customers.’

‘Of course, this latest achievement for Actega does not compromise our product quality, price, or performance either,’ added Dr Thomas Sawitowski, global head of business line flexible packaging at Actega. ‘Added to which, flexible stand-up pouches are a more environmentally conscious packaging choice as they are lightweight, as well as help to reduce the amount of plastic and overall waste generated by packaged goods. As such, it is important for us to support their continued use by further developing ACTEbond to meet all performance and safety requirements, for today and tomorrow.’

The ACTEbond portfolio includes ASB-908, a high-performance laminating adhesive for all types of stand-up pouches, and ASB-903-W205 (white), offering packaging converters potential processing time and cost savings by eliminating the need for full-area printing with white. It is also suitable for creating custom packaging designs by printing additional colors and replacing white-colored polyester films.

The ACTEbond hardeners range includes HT-049-S, an aliphatic, yellowing-resistant hardener for aluminum laminates; HT-020, an aromatic, reactive hardener with low curing time and no tempering necessary; and HT-038, an aliphatic, yellowing-resistant hardener for transparent laminates.

The eradication of BPA and Epoxysilane from the ACTEbond portfolio is also in line with Altana’s broader business focus on sustainability standards. The company has an ambitious target of reducing its CO2 impact from production and energy procurement to zero worldwide by 2025. In support of that goal, in March 2020, the power supply at all its locations was converted to renewable energies.

‘This will enable us to achieve climate neutrality in our direct sphere of influence,’ concludes Sawitowski. ‘Actega is fully committed to supporting sustainable, environmentally-responsible packaging production. While it’s not yet regulation that we remove BPA and Epoxysilane from our products in Europe, it’s important to us that all steps are taken to ensure the highest consumer standards. What’s more, early customer feedback confirms that ACTEbond without these potentially harmful substances continues to deliver the usual high performance, but with the additional competitive advantage of enhanced product safety.’