Adhesive company BindEthics has announced that its flagship bio-based adhesive, Ecohesive, has transitioned from laboratory development into industrial-scale production.
The development marks a ‘significant step’ in the company’s mission to eliminate toxic formaldehyde-based resins from global construction and furniture supply chains, while enabling greater recyclability and circularity across the engineered wood sector. BindEthics adds that it has progressed to producing 40-litre production-grade batches with a validated pathway to 2,000-litre manufacturing volumes.
The company says Ecohesive is a 100% bio-based, formaldehyde-free adhesive derived from purified and refined industrial bio-waste, including by-products from the brewing industry, developed specifically for engineered wood applications. The adhesive is said to deliver high-performance structural bonding without relying on fossil fuels or petrochemical feedstocks.
Apparently, it is designed as drop-in solution compatible with existing industrial mixing and pressing equipment, aiming to eliminate the need for manufacturers to invest in new production infrastructure. The technology is expected to enable up to 90% of engineered wood products including furniture panels, construction boards, Oriented Strand Board (OSB) and acoustic and sound diffusion panels to become fully recyclable.
BindEthics is also developing and testing Ecohesive for freight and logistics applications under demanding transport conditions. The company says it has received scale-up, laboratory and commercial support from the Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) in York, UK through its European Regional Development Programme and is also collaborating with Bangor University in Wales, which is providing advanced testing capabilities to accelerate product development and validation.
Reportedly, commercial discussions and customer interest currently represent potential industrial demand exceeding 6,000 tonnes. BindEthics adds that initial commercial production batches are earmarked for industrial trials with major Tier 1 manufacturers and specialist eco-plywood fabricators across Europe.
BindEthics highlights that the commercial scale-up comes as traditional urea-formaldehyde (UF) and phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins face increasing regulatory scrutiny across Europe and internationally, due to concerns over carcinogenic emissions and environmental impacts. New EU REACH regulations due to take effect on 6 August 2026 will introduce stricter formaldehyde emission limits for wood-based products, creating growing pressure on manufacturers to identify compliant alternatives.
In related news, UPM Adhesive Materials has introduced its UPM ProCycle portfolio of recycling compatible label solutions, aiming to provide converters and packaging brand owners with a solution that delivers ‘recognized recyclability performance’. The adhesive technologies are designed to deliver consistent adhesion, efficient converting and high print quality for plastics, fibre and glass packaging.
Last month Fedrigoni Self-Adhesives revealed its SH6020-W PLUS adhesive with permanent and wash-off performance, designed for the wine and spirits industry and aiming to support bottle reuse and glass recycling processes. The solution is also designed to help reduce complexity, avoid duplicate inventories and respond to increasing demand for circular packaging solutions without changing established production processes.
If you liked this story, you might also enjoy:
The ultimate guide to packaging innovation in 2026
Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation: what to know in 2026
Everything you need to know about global packaging sustainability regulation
No comments yet