Improving Glue: Ceresana Expects Growing Global Market for Bio-Based Adhesives

KONSTANZ, Germany - July 29, 2025 - PRLog -- In the spirit of the bio-economy and circular economy, the proportion of plant- and animal-based raw materials used in adhesive products is constantly increasing. The latest Ceresana report on the global market for bio-based adhesives forecasts that sales of "green" glues will increase to around USD 4.5 billion by 2034. In order to reduce the ecological footprint and dependence on crude oil and natural gas, bio-based components are increasingly being added to conventional adhesives made from petrochemical plastics. Growth in demand for high-performance and eco-friendly adhesives is particularly occurring in the construction sector, the field of paper and packaging, and the woodworking industry.

Burgeoning Field of Innovation: Bio-Based Adhesives

Adhesives made from biogenic raw materials are no longer limited to special applications, such as starch adhesives for bottle labels and corrugated cardboard packaging, methyl cellulose in wallpaper paste, or collagen for musical instruments. With the help of additives and copolymers, bio glues are also increasingly meeting demanding standards for industrial high-performance products, for example for hot-melt adhesives, construction adhesives, or thermoplastic adhesive films for lightweight composites. Dynamic research and development is driven by the search for non-toxic, solvent-free, low-emission, and recyclable adhesives. Ideally, bio-based products are even biodegradable at the end of their life cycle and meet e.g. the ISO 17088 standard for compostable plastics. Another advantage is the possible recycling of previously unused waste and inexpensive by-products, such as lignin from the paper industry, keratin from chicken feathers, or platform chemicals that are produced during the manufacture of biofuels from biomass.

Plant-Based Adhesives for Packaging and Construction Products

Today, more than 13 million tonnes of adhesives are consumed globally each year. Most of these are still adhesives made from fossil raw materials. However, the demand for biobased adhesives is increasing significantly: In the coming years, Ceresana expects annual growth of over 4.8% in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East and just over 3% in Western Europe and North America. The largest individual markets are the application areas of paper and packaging, the construction industry, and the wood industry with products such as plywood panels and furniture. Paper bags and other packaging alone currently account for almost a third of global sales of bio-based adhesives. In the packaging industry, a combination with polylactic acid (PLA) or other bioplastics is ideal; in the construction sector, bio-adhesives go well with bio-based paints and insulating materials.

New Ceresana Market Study "Bio-Based Adhesives – World Report" (2nd Edition): https://ceresana.com/en/produkt/biobased-adhesives-market...