The COVID-19 pandemic created lasting change for many industries, and the packaging industry is no different. The use of parcel shipping boomed due to increased online shopping, and it continues to trend up even as the world moves away from COVID-19 restrictions. In fact, Pitney Bowes found there were 159 billion parcels shipped globally in 2021, which is more than triple the amount shipped in the last seven years. As a result, companies within the industry are looking for packaging solutions that meet rising demand while balancing sustainability with product performance.
Improving Durability
The parcel shipping boom has increased the need for strong, durable packaging materials to ensure consumer goods are delivered intact. Latex binders can strengthen packaging materials, such as tape and labels, or even the overall construction of the packaging, and help ensure the shipped item is delivered safely to its destination without drastically increasing the price of producing these materials.
Trinseo’s all acrylic (AA) binders offer exceptional pressure sensitivity thanks to their balanced design between flow and resistance to flow, in turn ensuring a long-lasting application. Trinseo also offers binders composed of styrene butadiene (SB) latex and styrene acrylic (SA) as an alternative to acrylic binders for certain applications. SB-based binders enhance the cohesive and adhesive strength of applications, allowing for high-performance tapes or labels. These binders are typically more cost-effective than acrylic solutions and have a robust supply chain, making SB readily available for production.
Overall, Trinseo offers a variety of latex binders designed to improve the durability of packaging materials.
Creating Binders to Meet Your Needs
In addition to improving durability, Trinseo can formulate binders to meet your specific application needs. Our team meets with customers to better understand their goals, allowing for better collaboration and customer service.
One such example is LIGOS™ A 3215 for pressure-sensitive adhesives applications. This SB latex can be formulated to adjust loop tack on high values while maintaining strong peel and high shear strength. Additionally, LIGOS™ A 3215 can be formulated to be compatible with multiple materials, including standard glassine release liners using platinum-cured silicones, UV curable systems, and PET film release liners using solvent silicones.
Latex binders can also be designed to meet your sustainability goals. Trinseo’s new CO2NET™ product portfolio is designed to generate at least 50% fewer carbon emissions compared to their fossil-derived counterparts, with the goal of lowering emissions to net zero carbon. The product portfolio is designed for a variety of industries, including paperboard and specialty paper applications. These CO2NET™ latex binders are largely for cellulose-based packaging materials, as the binder provides essential properties in the form of a laminating adhesive for flexible or rigid packaging materials. Trinseo is also looking to further expand our sustainable portfolio by beginning to develop biohybrid solutions.
Latex binders play a crucial role in improving packaging materials as the demand for parcel shipping continues to grow. Our broad offering of SB, SA, and AA latex binders and the CO2NET™ portfolio ensures our customers have choices when developing their adhesive applications without compromising performance properties.