Henkel partners with Celanese to develop carbon-capture adhesives

USA – Global adhesives leader Henkel Corporation has joined forces with chemical and specialty materials company Celanese Corporation to advance circularity in adhesive production through the use of carbon capture-based materials.

This collaboration aims to reduce environmental impact while offering innovative solutions for industries reliant on adhesives.    

Earlier this year, Celanese launched a carbon capture and utilization (CCU) project at its Clear Lake, Texas facility, a part of its Fairway Methanol joint venture with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. 

The project uses CCU technology to capture industrial CO₂ emissions and convert them into methanol with the aid of hydrogen. 

This methanol, which constitutes 35% of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), is integral to producing polymers used in adhesive formulations.   

By incorporating this technology, Henkel will manufacture water-based adhesives derived from captured CO₂ emissions. 

This initiative enables Henkel’s customers in packaging and consumer goods sectors to enhance the renewable content of their products while keeping CO₂ emissions in the production loop.   

Driving sustainability across industries 

The new CCU-based adhesives will play a significant role in advancing sustainability across various industries, including Paper & Board, Envelopes & Graphic Arts, E-commerce, Labeling, and Tissue & Towel. 

These sectors will benefit from adhesive solutions that align with increasing market and consumer demand for environmentally friendly products. 

“Our purpose is to pioneer packaging solutions for the benefit of people and planet,” said Pernille Lind Olsen, Global Head of Packaging and Consumer Goods Adhesives at Henkel.  

“This initiative will provide our customers with cost-effective options to meet their sustainability goals while driving forward-looking technologies that have a lasting impact.”  

Henkel and Celanese are committed to investing in innovative technologies like CCU to meet growing consumer demands for renewable content. 

This partnership highlights their shared vision of integrating sustainability into production processes and making environmentally friendly solutions more accessible to manufacturers. 

“We are pleased to partner with Henkel to demonstrate how Celanese ECO-CC products can support the transition to a more circular economy,” said Kevin Norfleet, Global Sustainability Leader at Celanese. 

“Our CCU platform offers a scalable path to delivering sustainability into the adhesives market, and we are excited to expand its application across industries.”

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