There are many ways to think “green” in a business environment. You can buy local, use water-based or more environmentally friendly chemicals, lower or turn off the air conditioning and lights, or use recycled products. But many green solutions have a trade-off.

The world’s growing population and wealth, combined with raw materials scarcity, influence the adhesives market. Manufacturers are searching for bio-based solutions in order to reduce reliability on scarce raw materials and improve the carbon footprint of their products.

Researchers have identified a number of global trends that will have an impact on the adhesive business. One major trend is to use energy more efficiently—both to protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions and from a basic cost-of-energy standpoint.

Green, bio-based, renewable, eco-friendly—no matter which label we attach, the current marketing buzz is about environmentally conscious products.

About this time last spring, the U.S. Senate actually appeared on the brink of tackling reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Traditional adhesives, usually petroleum-based and often intended for a single use, present a sticky situation for sustainability. However, researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst have redesigned their Geckskin adhesive using renewable materials.