“Adhesives make up only a minimal share of packaging – yet they determine its recyclability” 

The following interview was originally published on July 9, 2026, by IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V., the German Association for Plastics Packaging and Films. The original version in German language can be found on their online news platform "sicher verpackt".
Read the German interview   

Mr. Düsterwald, BASF positions itself as an enabler of its customers’ sustainable transformation under the claim “We create chemistry for a sustainable future.” How is this commitment put into practice in packaging adhesives? 

Sustainability is not an add-on for us – it is an integral part of our innovation strategy. This also applies to packaging labels: we develop adhesives that make packaging recyclable right from the beginning. When labels can be cleanly removed, the packaging itself becomes easier to recycle.

It’s important to us that these solutions are not just theoretically sustainable but also proven under real-world conditions. That is why we collaborate across the entire value chain – from raw material development and packaging applications to evaluation in the recycling process – with external partners as well as internal BASF teams. 

This approach has enabled us to develop adhesive solutions that can be removed without residue in existing recycling processes, helping recyclers produce high-quality recyclate. This is a key requirement for demanding applications such as bottle-to-bottle recycling.

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Pressure-sensitive adhesives for labels were long considered a major barrier to recycling. What was the core problem – and what was your starting point for developing a fully recyclable PSA? 

When we adhere something – like a label to a PET bottle – it needs to stay in place. That is precisely what created the issue in recycling: the adhesive continues to hold even when the bottle has reached the end of its life cycle. 

This led to the widespread perception that adhesives are not recyclable. However, this assessment is no longer universally true - at least for certain applications and under defined process conditions. We have developed a solution where the adhesive performs reliably during use but becomes reversible later in the recycling phase. 

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BASF has recently demonstrated that adhesive components in packaging can be compatible with existing recycling processes. What innovations made this possible? 

First, we needed to understand how recycling processes actually work and which polymer designs allow materials to be washed off or separated under those specific conditions. 

The result is a range of adhesives that provide strong adhesion during use but can be reliably removed to a large extent during recycling. We continue to optimize these formulations step by step. 

When we succeed in developing solutions like this, everyone benefits: brands can offer more recyclable packaging, and recylers receive clean recyclate that can be used, for example, to produce new PET bottles. 

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Can you share what makes your new pressure-sensitive adhesive particularly unique? 

In general, the functionality depends heavily on the specific application and recycling process. For filmic labels on PET bottles, it is the combination of temperature and a high pH level in the washing process that triggers what we call debonding-on-demand. These factors are deliberately combined because either one alone could potentially occur during product use. Together, however, they are unlikely to occur outside of controlled recycling conditions.

We have been working on and refining such technologies for many years. Similar approaches are also used in other application areas, such as multilayer packaging for products like sausage or cheese. Here as well, we have developed adhesive solutions that enable clean separation during recycling through a combination of factors, enabling, for example, the separation of PET trays and PE film. These developments are now transferable to industrial processes and can be scaled up further. 

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What does this innovation say about the potential of existing materials – and how proactively do you develop such solutions? 

There is clear demand for sustainable solutions. At the same time, customers expect companies like BASF to already have suitable solutions available when they are needed. 

To stay ahead, we continuously analyze market developments and regulatory trends, assess their implications for our business, and derive development projects from them – for example in response to EU initiatives such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and Design-for-Recycling requirements. 

Even after we have found a solution, significant development work is often still required. In doing so, it is always our ambition to work closely with our customers and partners rather than operating in isolation. 

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Do you see regulations like the PPWR as more of a burden or an opportunity? 

Regulations such as the PPWR are always both a challenge and an opportunity. In packaging adhesives in particular, we explicitly welcome certain regulatory frameworks, as they can create new perspectives and drive innovation in a technologically mature market. Voluntary approaches alone are often not enough to establish new solutions on a large scale. Regulation can provide the necessary momentum to accelerate both innovation and market adoption.

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What are the biggest obstacles to achieving a functioning circular economy? 

The challenge starts with defining what the best solution actually is from a circularity perspective. It is a shared task to untangle this complexity and develop solutions tailored to specific applications. Here, Design for Recyling plays a key role. If products are to function throughout their entire lifecycle, many existing concepts must be rethought. Material requirements, product performance, and recycling processes must all be aligned. 

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What contribution can a single raw material, such as an adhesive, make? 

Label adhesives make up only a minimal share of a package. Yet they can ultimately determine whether that package is recyclable or not. As a raw material supplier, we therefore make an important contribution at the very beginning of the value chain to the developing of sustainable solutions that work within existing infrastructure. However, we cannot bring these solutions to market on our own. This requires shared standards and collaboration across all stakeholders. 

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You just touched on this: Design for Recycling sounds simple, but in practice it is complex because it involves all stakeholders along the value chain. What does it take for recyclable solutions to be adopted more broadly? 

Packaging is becoming increasingly complex and recycling is not straightforward. All stakeholders along the value chain share responsibility and must be involved. As a raw material supplier, we are at the very beginning – we provide the foundation. However, the next steps do not happen automatically. Packaging manufacturers, brand owners, and retailers need to adopt and implement these solutions. They also need to create clear requirements through their procurement and marketing strategies so that momentum can flow back into the value chain.  

If this does not happen, such products will not reach the retailers. At the same time, much depends on how recyclers are set up, which technologies they use, and what types of recyclate they aim to produce. That is why we need close alignment across all stakeholders to develop practical, recycling-friendly solutions.  

This close collaboration along the value chain is already part of our day-to-day work at BASF. It even goes beyond that: for example, we work closely with equipment manufacturers that are not directly our customers. This allows us to understand specific machine settings and ensure that our solutions perform reliably in our customers’ processes.” 

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Initiatives such as RecyClass or CELAB bring together cross-industry perspectives and set common standards. How important are such collaborative ecosystems for innovation? 

Cross-industry collaboration is increasingly becoming the norm. In associations or initiatives such as RecyClass or CELAB, stakeholders from across the value chain work closely together. The major advantage is that all stakeholders can exchange ideas and establish common evaluation standards to bring solutions into broader application. 

This enables us, as a raw material and adhesive supplier, to offer solutions that users can rely on because they meet defined minimum standards. At the same time, this exchange helps ensure that solutions are developed in a way that makes them applicable not just for individual players, but for as many stakeholders across the market as possible. 

This is the key to the successes we have achieved in adhesives, as well as in other areas of our business: bringing together all stakeholders, taking their needs seriously, drawing the right conclusions, and translating these into solutions with broad acceptance. 

Thank you very much for the insightful conversation, Mr. Düsterwald. 

About Uwe Düsterwald 

Uwe Düsterwald started his professional career with vocational training as a chemical laboratory technician. He later left the company temporarily to pursue a degree in chemical engineering, before rejoining BASF directly after completing his studies. Since then, he has worked continuously in the field of adhesives. This covers a broad range of applications, including label adhesives, construction adhesives, adhesive tapes, and sealants. 

Based on his technical background, he initially worked in technical marketing – first focusing on the German market, then on a European level, and later internationally. For several years now, he has been Project Manager Sustainability in Adhesives, where his work focuses primarily on sustainability-related topics in the adhesives sector.