Lecta Self-Adhesives extends its range of exclusive labels for gourmet beverages and products

In line with its firm commitment to quality and innovation, Lecta Self-Adhesives has extended its offering to the wine, craft beer, olive oil, and gourmet product sectors. With more than 50 years of experience, today the company's Adestor brand is a benchmark in the European self-adhesive labels market, renowned for its comprehensive and versatile range of solutions tailored to evolving needs.

The Adestor Beverage & Delicatessen range features a broad portfolio of differentiating materials that allow designers, label manufacturers and brands to capture consumer attention by conveying messages and sensations directly through the product labelling. Conscious of the growing demand for more responsible products, Lecta Self-Adhesives offers innovative solutions designed to reduce the environmental impact and encourage the circular economy, such as:

Adestor Essence Nature DfE 90 WS, 100% recycled with a textured finish.

Adestor StonePaper® 144 DfE, Cradle2Cradle Silver certified.

Adestor Cold Ice White 110 with HWS technology that replaces the internal plastic layer with a natural material and ensures excellent performance on ice buckets.

The Adestor Beverage & Delicatessen premium selection is designed to convey history, personality, and character in each label. Whether for a bottle of wine, craft beer, olive oil, or any other gourmet product, the line offers metallized, glossy, laid, embossed, Kraft, cotton, black, coated, glitter and matt materials, ideal for creating premium labels that are both distinctive and memorable.This collection also includes enhanced options, with a back barrier for optimal performance on ice buckets and in refrigerated environments with condensation. It also features high-performance adhesives such as the BC500 (modified acrylic) and HM247 (Hot-Melt) ensuring reliable adhesion in various conditions.

Like all other Lecta Self-Adhesive products, the Adestor Beverage & Delicatessen range is available for immediate dispatch from our cutting and distribution centers in Spain, Italy and Germany, guaranteeing an efficient service across the whole of Europe.

The entire Adestor range is manufactured in accordance with the ISO 14001 and EMAS environmental standards, the ISO 50001 energy management standard, the ISO 9001 quality standard, and the ISO 45001 occupational health and safety standard.

This exclusive launch reaffirms Lecta Self-Adhesives' leadership in the self-adhesive labels market, offering innovative and more sustainable solutions that add value to brands and elevate the consumer experience.

source: Lecta

Sulzer brings PS chemical recycling technology to market

Engineering company Sulzer has launched a technology to chemically recycle heavily contaminated polystyrene (PS).

Called EcoStyrene, the technology has been under development since the end of 2022 when Sulzer Chemtech announced a partnership with VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland.

That partnership involved combining VTT’s patented pyrolysis-based depolymerisation technology and Sulzer Chemtech’s SuRe styrene purification technology.

The result is a technology that can process PS waste containing flame retardant components and food residue into various grades of styrenic polymers, including food-contact applications.

EcoSyrene is now commercially available. Combining Sulzer’s process and equipment expertise in the field of polymer recycling with VTT’s proven fluidised bed reactor technology spearheaded the development, Sulzer explained in a statement.

Sulzer will act as the main licensor of the technology, providing full process solutions to customers. These include basic engineering services, supply of key equipment, and skid-mounted modular units.

“We're excited to bring this transformative technology to market,” said Ilja Mikenberg, global head of process solutions at Sulzer Chemtech. “The chemical recycling sector has been seeking sustainable solutions for contaminated plastic waste management, and our EcoStyrene technology provides a practical, economically viable answer even for the most challenging feedstock.

Sulzer has developed proprietary plastics chemical recycling technologies including pyrolysis and depolymerisation. It is also the exclusive licensor of the pyrolysis technology developed by Fuenix Ecogy.

VTT has developed pyrolysis and gasification technologies that use a fluidised bed reactor to convert mixed plastic waste into chemical precursors. In January, technology commercialisation platform Innventure announced it acquired exclusive rights to licence VTT’s thermochemical conversion technology for plastic waste.

source: Sulzer / Sustainable Plastics

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : CRRC unveils monorail train of new platform

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

CRRC unveils monorail train of new platform

The eight-car train in the form of China’s national symbol, a giant panda, has been rolled out in Chongqing. The vehicle is scheduled for launch in the second half-year.

The interior features 92 seats, 180° rotatable, with each car accommodating over 200 people. The unit is fitted with intelligent energy-efficient air conditioning and lighting systems. In addition, the train’s smart dimmable windows with an integrated touchscreen are made of photochromic glass, blocking 99% of UV rays. The body’s components are produced from carbon fiber.

CRRC Corporation Ltd. says the new platform is designed for monorails of different types. It will be fitted with permanent magnet traction motors and high-frequency auxiliary converters. The trains will incorporate predictive diagnostics technology, potentially reducing maintenance costs by 30%.

Images: China News / ROLLINGSTOCK

#monorail #china #CRRC

Toyobo signs joint development agreement with DMC Biotechnologies Inc. to develop and commercialize sustainable, key compounds for plastic raw materials

Toyobo Co., Ltd. recently signed a joint research and development contract related to biomanufacturing with DMC Biotechnologies Inc., a U.S. biotech venture company based in Colorado. The two companies aim to develop and commercialize sustainable key chemical compounds to be used as raw materials for general-purpose plastics by applying synthetic biology technologies to microorganisms.

Biomanufacturing is an innovative technology that utilizes genetic techniques to produce valuable target substances from microorganisms, as well as animal and plant cells. Unlike conventional chemical manufacturing processes that rely on fossil sources, biomanufacturing does not require multiple-stage chemical reactions, and allows production under more natural and mild conditions. These characteristics contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the use of fossil resources as raw materials, generating high expectations for biomanufacturing as a sustainable manufacturing method to facilitate the green transformation.

Biodegradable plastics, biofuels and biosurfactants are among the useful substances produced in biomanufacturing. In particular, essential chemical compounds that function as intermediates or raw materials for plastics and other substances, can be utilized in a diverse range of applications, raising hopes of achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. 

However, biomanufacturing faces the challenge of higher production costs compared to conventional chemical processes. This necessitates the development of technologies to enable more efficient production.

Given this situation, Toyobo has signed the development agreement with DMC, to which it directly provided investment funding in March 2022, with the aim of developing and commercializing sustainable and cost efficient chemical compounds. The two parties plan to optimize the growth and production stages of microorganisms by using DMC’s “Dynamic Metabolic ControlTM*1”, a genetic technology involving the control of metabolic pathways and a precision fermentation process enabling the delivery of scalable bioprocesses.

Toyobo plans to utilize optimized microorganisms designed by DMC as well as its unique fermentation and production optimization technologies with the goal of mass-producing essential compounds for sale. Looking ahead, Toyobo will also explore using the essential compounds, derived from eco-friendly biomass, as raw materials for its films and other plastic products.

 

Toyobo is committed to advancing a sustainable society by accelerating the commercialization of essential compounds inpartnership with DMC and facilitating their use of these materials to reduce environmental impacts in manufacturing.

 

source: TOYOBO

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Bakelite®(Phenol Formaldehyde)

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Bakelite®(Phenol Formaldehyde) : The First Synthetic Plastic

Bakelite® changed the world in the first half of the twentieth century.

Advertised with the slogan ‘The material of 1000 uses’, this was the first synthetic plastic and heralded an age in which we were no longer dependent on the products of nature.

The legacy of Bakelite® is a world where synthetic plastics surround us: from medical implants to space shuttles, we have now become dependent on these synthetic materials.

On 7 December 1909, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted the Belgian-born chemist #LeoBaekeland a patent for a “Method of making insoluble products of phenol and formaldehyde”.

Hard, compact, insoluble and infusible this was the first synthetic plastic. Named #Bakelite® after its inventor.

Leo Baekeland moved from Europe to the United States, starting life in America working for a photographic firm.

An able chemist and innovator, Baekeland developed his own photographic paper and started a manufacturing base to produce Velox paper, the first commercially successful photographic paper. In 1899, Baekeland and his business partners sold their company, Nepera, to George Eastman of the Eastman Kodak Co. for $750,000.

Now extremely wealthy, Baekeland set up a well-equipped research laboratory in the comfort of his own home. As part of the sale agreement with Kodak, Baekeland had agreed not to development any more photographic technology; he would need a new area of research.

As he had done with Velox, Baekeland looked for a problem that offered “the best chance for the quickest possible results.” Asked why he entered the field of synthetic resins, Baekeland answered that his intention was to make even more money.

By the 1900s, chemists had begun to recognise the potential of natural resins and fibres, but attempts to replicate these in laboratory settings had been unsuccessful.

Baekeland familiarised himself with previous work and performed his research in a systematic and well documented fashion, carefully controlling and varying the effects of temperature, pressure and the types and proportions of phenol and formaldehyde.

The production of polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride was the answer to Baekeland’s dreams. With the slightly catchier named of Bakelite®, the resin is combined with fillers, such as wood and asbestos before it’s pressed directly into the required final shape.

A multitude of different uses were found for this new material and Baekeland’s legacy can be seen across the Science Museum Group Collection. One of the most iconic is the Bakelite® phone

source:Sophie Waring-Science Museum

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Bostik launches fast curing with 60% bio-based content Adhesive

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Bostik launches fast curing with 60% bio-based content Adhesive in the market

Born2Bond™ Ultra K85 is a fast-bonding adhesive that boasts exceptional resistance to humidity and high temperatures. The first-ever instant adhesive to withstand up to 1,000 hours at 85°C and 85% relative humidity*, it is ideal for bonding substrates exposed to highly-variable environmental conditions, without compromising outstanding sustainability credentials.

*Up to 5,000 hours on ABS.

FEATURES:

Resistant to 85°C/85% RH for up to 1,000 hours*

Resistant to 70°C for 10 days under water

Passes the cataplasma test on GBMS

60% bio-based content from renewable sources (Arkema Oleris® Advanced Bio-Materials)

30% elongation

Low blooming

Mild odor during application and curing

Non-irritant

Single component

Fast bonding (fixture time of 15 seconds**)

Passes ISO 10993-5

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:

Outdoor products (exposed to rain, heat and cold)

MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul)

General assembly

Toy manufacturing and prototyping

Medical devices

Automotive

Consumer electronics

Footwear

source: #Bostik

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Kuraray Confirms the Robustness of High-Voltage Tracking Resistance

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Kuraray Confirms the Robustness of High-Voltage Tracking Resistance Afforded by GENESTAR™ through Third-Party Assessments

Kuraray Co., Ltd. hereby announces that it confirmed the robustness of high-voltage tracking resistance afforded by the heat-resistant polyamide resin GENESTAR™. Testing was conducted to a maximum voltage of 900 volts and was carried out in accordance with the latest standard for tracking resistance, the UL 2597 Outline of Investigation for Test Method for Materials for Use in Transportation Applications: Surface Tracking Test (STT) Method published in May 2025 by UL Standards & Engagement, a non-profit organization that formulates international safety standards.

1.Background:

In recent years, the use of high-voltage power sources for electric vehicles (EVs) has grown, with an 800-volt system commercialized in 2020. There are even a number of new systems exceeding 1000 volts on the verge of release. The higher the voltage, the more robust the electrical insulation provided by the resin materials used needs to be. In fact, having robust tracking resistance is now an important factor in evaluating materials of this kind.

 Previous tracking resistance tests have been conducted in compliance with ASTM D3638 and IEC 60112, which are limited to a maximum test voltage of 600 volts. As a result, there is a gap between conventional testing environments and actual usage conditions, which often involve much higher voltages.

 Until now, #Kuraray used its own methods to assess the tracking resistance of GENESTAR™ in its efforts to confirm that a tracking phenomenon* would not occur even when the material is subjected to 900 volts, with voltages used in testing ranging from 600 to 1000 volts. However, UL Standards & Engagement published the latest UL 2597 standard in May 2025, making it possible to conduct standardized third-party evaluations in the voltage range of 600 to 900 volts.

2. Results of GENESTAR™ Based on Measurements in Compliance with the UL 2597 Standard

The surface tracking tests in accordance with the UL 2597 standard were conducted by UL Solutions, to assess the tracking resistance of GENESTAR™.

 Through these tests, we confirmed that GP2450NH-2 BLACK, which is a halogen-free flame retardant grade (certified to UL 94 V-0), would not allow the tracking phenomenon to occur even when subjected to 900 volts, the maximum voltage prescribed under the UL 2597 standard. We were thus able to confirm the robustness of tracking resistance afforded by GENESTAR™ in a high-voltage testing environment, a property that has previously not been readily assessable using conventional testing standards.

Looking ahead, Kuraray will continue to develop its proprietary material GENESTAR™. This will enable the Company to provide solutions to support the creation of compact, high-performance vehicle-mounted components for high-voltage EVs as well as the safety of the EVs as automotive technologies further evolve.

* Tracking is a phenomenon in which repeated micro-discharges on the surface of an insulating material cause local carbonization and the formation of conductive paths. In high-voltage environments, tracking can cause insulation breakdown or fire. Accordingly, tracking resistance is considered an important indicator in the safety evaluation of resin materials.

source: Kuraray