Pritt Stick maker closes the loop on polystyrene waste

Henkel, manufacturer of the Pritt adhesive products brand, has entered into an agreement with leading German waste contractor ALBA Group to help close the loop on polystyrene waste for its products.


Through ALBA’s recycling subsidiary Interseroh, a novel technique has been developed whereby polystyrene waste and other used plastic packaging materials can be turned into procyclen, a high-grade recycled plastic granulate which can form the basis for new plastic packaging and products.

Two of Henkel’s products – a Pritt Glue Roller and Pritt Correction Roller – now feature casing made from procyclen. Some of the raw secondary materials that make up the procyclen have been sourced from Henkel’s own manufacturing operations, thereby closing the loop.

According to Interseroh, the collaboration is an example of the circular economy in action – especially since the production of procyclen has been shown through an independent study to produce 30% fewer greenhouse gases compared to virgin polyester. In addition the energy inputs involved in its manufacture are significantly less – around 10,488KWh.

Reliable supply

Henkel’s head of global packaging for adhesives Peter Rushe said that the company was actively looking for new ways to drive sustainability within its product portfolio.

“Sustainability is connected inseparably with us for efficiency. We specifically provide refillable roller for our Pritt Glue Roller and Pritt Correction Roller products to avoid waste,” he noted, adding that the Interseroh partnership would now guarantee a reliable supply of material to help drive waste reduction efforts even further. 

Henkel has also implemented a number of sustainability initiatives for its laundry and home care products. It has spent the past three decades working intensively within research partnerships on the development of high-performance enzymes.

Earlier this month it released research showing how the use of these enzymes can reduce the amount of resources and raw materials used within these products. It combined surfactants and enzymes within a liquid hand-dishwashing product so that starch remains could be quickly removed. This resulted in a reduction in CO2 emissions, amounting to some 12,000 metric tonnes per year.

Since 2011, Henkel’s laundry and home care business unit has succeeded in cutting the carbon footprint of its annual raw materials consumption (related to total sales) by an average of 4% per year.

Maxine Perella

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe