06. Février 2009

Unique, fully biodegradable and compostable adhesive material / Contact adhesive 62N BioTAK™ used with paper and films / Requirements of EN 13432 widely exceeded / For labelling food and non-food packagings

Unique, fully biodegradable and compostable adhesive material / Contact adhesive 62N BioTAK™ used with paper and films / Requirements of EN 13432 widely exceeded / For labelling food and non-food packagings

In conjunction with the new 62N BioTAK™ contact adhesive, HERMA is offering a unique adhesive material that is 100 per cent biodegradable. The contact adhesive satisfies the European standard DIN EN 13432 which certifies products made from compostable materials. A white, light-weight coated paper and three different films are available as the label material. The patented 62N BioTAK™ contact adhesive is used on all of them. "Biodegradable materials based on renewable raw materials have already had a huge impact on the packaging materials sector," explains HERMA managing director Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner. "Consumers are already showing a growing interest in where packagings come from, and whether they can be reused; natural cosmetics, fruit and vegetable packagings and all the products in the burgeoning organic sector are good examples of this trend."

HERMAnaturefilms – films made from wood

In the certification procedure, the HERMAnaturefilms widely exceeded the requirements. To comply with EN 13432, 90 per cent of the material must have biodegraded after 45 days. The HERMAnaturefilms achieved this value after only 31 days and were fully degraded after 39 days. The special films are obtained from cellulose supplied by FSC-certified companies (from sustainable forestry). The films can be printed using solvent-free and water and UV-based inks by all conventional printing methods; they are antistatic and repel oil and grease. Paper converters also benefit from the high moisture and oxygen barrier. “The film is already used as a packaging material by a large number of major food manufacturers and packaging companies. With labels made from our HERMAnaturefilms, these packaging materials are now fully compostable," stresses Baum¬gärtner. Thanks to the high gloss level, they even meet the sophisticated needs of cosmetics packagings.

The biodegradable adhesive material is a further addition to HERMA's "GreenLine" product range. Just recently the company included PEFC-certified paper adhesives and label papers in its offering. "In this way label manufacturers will now be able to take even greater advantage of the growing demand for environmentally friendly packagings and marking systems," states Baumgärtner.

Brief profile of Herma

Located in Filderstadt near Stuttgart, Herma GmbH is a leading European specialist in self-adhesive technology. The group of companies has two production facilities in Germany and, in the 2007 financial year, generated sales of €206.9m with about 800 employees in three divisions – Self-adhesive Materials, Labels and Labelling Machines. The export ratio was around 52.4 %.

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