Arkema provides adhesive and sealants to customers through its Adhesives Solutions segment, and a key element of the company’s strategy is sustainability. The company works to offer customers innovative and sustainable solutions that help Arkema and its customers achieve United Nations sustainable development goals.

A recent example of Arkema’s commitment to sustainable solutions is its strategy for more sustainable manufacturing. Earlier this year, the company announced long-term renewable energy agreements for all of its Bostik sites in the United States, as well as additional sites in Kentucky, Texas, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Making the announcement, Arkema stated that it expects to obtain approximately 40% of the power needed to run its U.S. operations from renewable sources by 2024.

Editor Karen Parker spoke with Yohann Trang, the new global market director for construction materials at Arkema, about the company’s Adhesives Solutions segment, how Arkema is focusing on sustainability, and trends he sees in the adhesive and sealant industry.

ASI: Tell me about Arkema and your new position within the company.

Yohann Trang: Arkema has three main divisions. One is the adhesive part of Arkema, with Bostik as the main brand and main company. Second, we have Specialty Polymers with a variety of different chemicals and solutions going into a wide variety of industries, and then the part I am part of, the third pillar, is Coating Solutions, which is more upstream. We provide raw materials for various industries and sustainable solutions especially. I am focusing more on the construction materials, so architectural paints and adhesives and sealants.

ASI: What geographic regions does the adhesive materials business cover and where do you see potential for growth?

Trang: Being a global company, at Arkema we are servicing all regions in the world for adhesives and sealants. We have setups and plants in four main regions and also dedicated technical teams and R&D to provide support to our customers. And where do we see potential for growth? I think there is so much evolution today in the building industry, especially driven by sustainability. There is no region where there would be no growth for adhesives and sealants. Some will grow a bit faster than others. Areas where you have a big population, like India, China and Southeast Asia, are fast-growing countries and regions. But still the industry is transforming, is changing, evolving in the U.S., in South America, and in Europe, quite significantly.

ASI: What industry markets does the segment serve?

Trang: The segment I am focusing on is building and construction. This is probably our main market for adhesives and sealants. But obviously, you also have some other markets, such as the automotive industry, which is boosted by the strong evolution and development of batteries and electric vehicles in the world. Then, you have electronics, which is also an area that we are serving through our business unit focusing on monomers and polymers for UV systems.

ASI: What trends do you see in the adhesive and sealant market, and how is Arkema responding to those trends?

Trang: So, the main trend today that we see in this industry is sustainability. Customers and end-users are asking for more sustainable products. That is one key trend. The second one is to have products that are more durable; and it is also linked to sustainability and climate change. With climate changes, buildings are subjected to more harsh conditions, temperature, more rain, and therefore, you need sealants and adhesives that are more durable and that can resist such conditions. The third one is products that will be more versatile, more universal in terms of strength as well.

ASI: What do you see on the horizon in terms of sustainability and how is sustainability impacting the company’s plans for the future?

Trang: I would say for sustainability, first we have no choice. We have to change things. If we want keep a safe planet for our kids and society, we have to do something. It is unavoidable. It is a must. So, it is a clear strategy of the group. In fact, you have probably noticed that our motto for Arkema is, "Innovating materials for a more sustainable world." So, it shows that Arkema has taken a clear direction towards more sustainable materials. And in fact, what we are saying as well is that if we want real change, we have to change the materials we use. As a supplier of raw materials to produce materials and as a producer of materials, we are a key player and a key actor in this industry. This is why we have such a high commitment. We are not waiting for new trends. This is something that Arkema has always been involved in, trying to develop more sustainable products. In fact, all of our developments are driven by sustainability.

ASI: How has the importance of transparency — when companies are working towards their sustainability goals — changed the way Arkema does business? Has it changed the corporate culture?

Trang: I think there is a slight change. It is not that we were a secretive company, but we were protecting our IP and were very cautious on what we were saying. Now, when it comes to sustainability, because everyone has to take that direction; in fact, we have to share. We have to share what we can do, the ideas we have. What we want is to drive the whole industry in a more sustainable way. So, I think, yes transparency has changed, not on the business side, but probably on our strategy. We are more transparent on where to go, which direction we are taking, especially on product development, working on different feedstocks, recycled products, all this is clearly more transparent.

ASI: The company made a number of acquisitions last year. Can you discuss the growth Arkema has made in the adhesives space and its plans for the future?

Trang: We may look at it in two different ways. One is as an adhesive manufacturer with Bostik, which is more downstream. So here, there is a clear ambition from the group to grow in this area and remain one of the key players in the world. So, there are a number of acquisitions every year to offer more and more solutions to industry and to customers. Upstream – this is where I stand – we also made some strategic acquisitions. For example, we have made an acquisition in Mexico recently. This is so we can be closer to our customers and to better understand the needs of this region and to service the region. It is also linked to sustainability. If you are closer to your customers, you don’t need to ship goods all over the world. The company we just purchased is called Polimeros Especiales, where we can actually produce some key solutions for the adhesive and sealant industry.

ASI: Speaking of the future, what future trends in adhesive and sealant technology do you anticipate?

Trang: Well, I think we will go around the same theme again: sustainability. This will continue, accentuate, and accelerate. Sustainability drives every single R&D project we have today and that has been started in the last two years. So, it is a must. This won’t change. But you will see also, I think, more cooperation. Going back to sustainability, we cannot change things alone. This has to be done with our suppliers, with our customers, and the customers of our customers. We have to work along the whole value chain. And on our side, we are also working internally on all of our processes. So, the future, when it comes to adhesive and sealants, will be innovation towards more sustainability.

Another way to address sustainability is higher performance and how to do more with less. This is also what we are working on today. The last one, probably, will be to keep anticipating regulation changes because they are evolving all the time. That is what we try to do: to make sure we have not only a sustainable product, but a product that can last and be used for a long time by our customers. Because they fulfill all the requirements from regulation.

ASI: How important is it to work with customers as they are working on their sustainability goals?

Trang: It is key. Collaboration is key for sustainability. In fact, it is not very clear what to do and where to go, which direction to take. There are many pathways possible, and our role as a supplier is to help our customers to give them all of the tools they can use. Depending on the regulations, depending on market needs, depending on the end-users and consumers' needs, which will evolve as well, they will have all the tools from us to bring to market and to develop the right products. It is all about collaboration, partnership with our customers, so we really understand what they need, and we need to be transparent so that they can really see what we are working on. At Arkema, with sustainability being key, we have explored and we are still exploring all possible pathways. So, we provide and we will provide in the future even more sustainable solutions, whether it is bio-based, lower carbon footprint, mass balance, products that are better performing with lower dosage, or giving better durability, every aspect is explored today within the group.

To learn more about Arkema, visit www.arkema.com.