Flextra adhesives are Glymo free

Packaging Solutions

HB Fuller has announced that it has launched a series of products free of epoxy silane commonly known as Glymo, within its Flextra range of adhesives for flexible packaging. The company has also confirmed that this range does not contain organotin or BPA and specific grades are free of cyclic esters.

This modification gives converters and food manufacturers complete confidence that when they use one of HB Fuller's Flextra adhesives for their flexible packaging; they are choosing a compliant and food safe adhesive solution that will give them the performance they are looking for.

This reassurance is key at a time when converters and food manufacturers face growing regulation and increased pressure from consumers.

The Flextra range includes both solvent based and solvent free products for medium and high performance applications. Individual solutions also offer additional benefits such as room temperature curing, fast curing and PAA decay, as well as the option to use an aliphatic system to avoid PAA altogether.

The announcement is in line with recommendations from FEICA, the Association of the European Adhesive & Sealant Industry, for members to replace Glymo in food packaging adhesives before mid 2020. This follows guidance from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that Glymo, which is typically used to improve adhesion to inorganic surfaces such as aluminium or SiOx coated films, has a genotoxic potential.