Designed to enable recycling: How Henkel Adhesives are powering the circular economy

Things move at rapid speed in the modern world. Every day, convenient products and packaging enter consumers’ lives and perform their intended function - then land in the trash. That means considerable volumes of glass, paper, plastics, and metal drop out of the value chain in the blink of an eye. But innovative adhesives from Henkel are making it possible to keep those materials within the economic cycle by enabling future-ready packaging designs that are compatible with waste sorting and processing streams. And they’re already making a positive impact by supporting the transition to a circular economy.

What is fueling the momentum for more recyclable packaging?

Arne Jost: The big thing is regulation. In Europe, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation ‏(PPWR) is a game-changer. It requires all packaging to be recyclable by 2030, and it comes with the EU’s first ever definition of what recyclability means. And since the rest of the world wants to trade with Europe, they will also have to adapt to the PPWR.

Diana Sipica: Those regulations also affect packaging for Henkel’s own products, of course. That’s why we are working to get ahead of legislation and ensure the packaging for our consumer goods portfolio is compatible with existing recycling systems. On top of our response to changing laws, we’re also listening to changing consumer expectations. Plastic is often viewed as a particularly problematic material, for example, because people see plastic waste in their daily life. That’s why our teams are creating alternatives to plastic packaging to give consumers peace of mind when using our products.

How is Henkel enabling new designs that support recycling?

Elodie Picard: Discussion with customers is key. We create roadmaps together that support them in achieving their targets for circularity, safety, and sustainability. That includes helping them to phase out chemicals of concern and providing full transparency about the materials within our adhesives, sealants, and coatings for packaging applications.

Our team is deeply proud of the technologies we’ve created to support recyclability. Henkel’s RE adhesives for lamination are fully qualified and certified for enabling recycling. Last year, we launched an adhesive for plastic bottle labels that washes off to avoid contaminating recycled outputs. Our specialty coatings also make paper cups and wraps compatible with recycling.

Diana Sipica: We’ve made big progress with Henkel’s portfolio in recent years, too. Switching from plastic to paper blister cards is a high-profile example because we’re the first company in our industry to achieve this. Our metal can portfolio has a lower CO2 footprint since we switched to bluemint steel that is made from recycled scrap metal. In Germany, we collect all cans for our polyurethane (PU) foams and recycle the cans—as well as the product residue inside the can. And we’re launching a new generation of sealant cartridges later in 2025.

Arne Jost: Flexible packaging is a key area for our innovators today. This type of packaging is often made from several layers of different materials, each with an important function. Adhesives then bond these films together. Now, we’re exploring ways to debond those layers at the end of the packaging’s life. In this way, we strive to make separation of materials into purer streams with higher value possible.

What is the key to boosting recyclability in the years ahead?

Arne Jost: It’s all about expanding our expertise and engaging in close collaboration. That’s why we’ve set up the Packaging Recyclab at our Inspiration Center Düsseldorf ‏(ICD). It’s almost like a scaled-down paper mill, where our scientists deepen their understanding of how Henkel adhesives affect fiber-based packaging and recycling processes. We regularly welcome our customers to this facility to develop recyclable packaging designs together. 

Elodie Picard: cyclos-HTP is a powerful partner in this context as well. With their engineering experience from planning and building packaging recycling and sorting plants and their experience in packaging waste stream audits, their teams have unique expertise in what makes a packaging design recyclable—whether it’s made of glass, paper, plastics, or metals. We share our expertise with them, and they share their expertise with us. That puts us in a strong position to help customers make progress towards their circularity targets.

Diana Sipica: Our own consumer products also benefit from Henkel’s relationship with cyclos-HTP. We’ve completed several assessments with them, which have led to pilot projects that aim to enable collection and recycling of our portfolio. Together, we’re identifying improvements in packaging designs and gaps in waste management systems—and taking decisive action to increase the volume of material that re-enters the value chain via recycling.