• An object that hadn't changed in over 80 years: cartridges for adhesives and sealants are moving to a new generation of packaging, featuring more recycled content and easier recyclability.
• The new Pattex cartridges, launched on the market by Henkel, contain 51 per cent less plastic (replaced by cardboard) and reduce the share of non-recyclable waste by up to 73 per cent.
• A new type of opening no longer requires a cutter, reducing the risk of accidents and making the packaging resealable for prolonged use with less product waste.

When companies are called upon to make their essential contribution to sustainable development, it can sometimes be difficult to convey a concrete idea of what they should actually do. Henkel, a multinational that has been active for nearly 150 years across several sectors, including adhesives, recently provided an example of how innovation can go hand in hand with sustainability: it has introduced to the market, under the Pattex brand, a new generation of sustainable cartridges for mounting adhesives and sealants. Why is this remarkable? Because this type of product had not been modified in over 80 years. It is concrete proof that "business as usual" is no longer an option, and that radical changes are necessary.

Sustainable and circular cartridges

"I know it might seem like a simple product — a tube with an applicator — but it took more than two years of study to reach this result, and it will take another two years to replace all the cartridges," explains Stefano Hoenish, Head of Application Engineering Italy & Greece, Adhesive Technologies, ACC Henkel Italia. "It is an important step in our journey towards an increasingly circular system: we have introduced a recycled and more easily recyclable material — cardboard — calculating that each cartridge contains 51 per cent less plastic and achieves an overall saving of 73 per cent in non-recyclable waste. We estimate a 'saving' for Italy of approximately 150 tonnes less plastic compared to a traditional cartridge, progressively as the switchover is rolled out across all cartridges in the range".

Prior to this new technology, these cartridges — used by professionals and DIY enthusiasts alike — were made entirely of plastic, and the adhesive or sealant material was in direct contact with the plastic itself, making it non-recyclable at end of use. Today, a small inner sleeve has been inserted inside the cardboard, keeping the cardboard clean and recyclable. The principles applied are those of so-called ecodesign, a topic also close to the hearts of the European Union — that is, thinking about the end of life of objects from the very conception and design stage. For Henkel, plastic is also a central pillar of its sustainability journey, both in terms of how to reduce it and how to use ever-greater quantities of recycled plastic.

Making separate waste collection easier

"Another major theme at the heart of this revolution," continues Marta Carvelli, marketing & trade marketing director for consumer products at Henkel Adhesive Technologies, "is the ease of use and recycling of the product. We need to make this gesture easy for people." The new generation of cartridges disassembles easily: the plastic applicator detaches with a quick movement, the cardboard unrolls, and the inner sleeve comes apart. "Another major achievement for us," Carvelli continues, "is having made these cartridges safer: a cutter is no longer needed to open the nozzle. This drastically reduces the risk of accidents. Moreover, the cap is resealable, making the product more durable and allowing for less waste."

Strongly committed to promoting the circular economy, in recent years Henkel has invested heavily in the sustainable design of product packaging and has achieved 89 per cent recyclable packaging, as Hoenish explains, bringing the average share of recycled plastic in consumer product packaging to 25% (with a target of reaching 30% by the end of 2025). This is a journey that inevitably requires major investment in innovation and research and which, as always, will raise the sustainability bar for the entire reference market.