In the context of adhesives, mass balance is a method used to track and account for the amount of renewable or sustainable feedstocks, such as bio-based or recycled materials, integrated into the production of adhesives, while using the same production infrastructure as conventional raw materials.
Essentially, it allows manufacturers to mix renewable and fossil-based resources in the same process and allocate the renewable portion to specific products based on a certified tracking system. The amount of renewable content attributed to the final adhesive product is calculated based on the proportion of sustainable raw materials used in the overall production. Since the announcement of the “European Green Deal” in 2019, this topic has gained strong momentum in the adhesive industry.
Why is mass balance important to H.B. Fuller and our customers?
This approach assures that our customers’ processes will not be compromised in any way. The adhesive can be treated and processed in the same way as the product it replaces. Finally, this process can reduce CO2 emissions and replace the extraction of finite resources with renewable raw materials.
H.B. Fuller views sustainable transformation as a foundational need for long-term preservation and customer satisfaction. As a result, we identified an ISCC Plus certified isocyanate to formulate reactive hotmelt adhesives, which has enabled us to partially replace fossil fuel-based raw materials using mass balance approach. We continue to explore various sustainable solutions.
Explore our entire range of mass balance solutions or learn more about all our Wood & Composite products and applications.
