Biodegradable adhesives: Not just a waste effort

Biodegradable and compostable hot melt adhesives can help in packaging applications such as case and carton sealing, bottle labelling and film laminating. Like many other materials used in biodegradable packaging, adhesive manufacturers have been able to exploit polylactic acid (PLA) for use in hot melts. With lactic acid famously being derived from milk products, this trend to biodegradability means that packages containing lactic acid are often produced with the help of lactic acid. Other materials potentially used in these applications include polycaprolactones (PCLs) and soy proteins.