Henkel outlines how adhesives are shaping the tissue industry’s path to sustainability

Sustainability in the tissue and towel industry is no longer optional, it is a core principle for manufacturers, retailers and consumers. This principle trickles down to all manufacturing processes, and it covers all raw materials used in production lines, including those that represent a small percentage of a product’s weight such as adhesives. 

Despite adhesives small footprint, they influence critical product attributes such as softness, absorbency, and strength. At the same time, they can make converting lines  efficient, faster, and more sustainable. At Henkel, we know very well this power adhesives have unlocking both product and processing innovations and sustainability. That is why we view sustainability as embedded across the entire life cycle of tissue and towel production, from raw materials to manufacturing to end-of-life.  

Henkel’s Senior Sustainability Manager for North America, Alejandro Medina, provides his perspective into how adhesives can support sustainability and business growth, especially considering how market conditions are changing and the expansion of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations in more markets. 

It is an old and outdated misconception that sustainability improvements become a tradeoff for performance. Henkel’s approach directly challenges this idea. Our approach is guided by a simple principle: sustainability and performance must always go hand in hand. Our sustainable portfolio is designed to meet or exceed performance compared to traditional formulations. This comes from our deep understanding of the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods businesses, acknowledging that performance is a non-negotiable and that small improvements can lead to larger operational and sustainability gains. 

These performance and sustainability driven improvements are increasingly becoming critical. Inflation and rising prices, in parallel with regulations, accelerate the need for solutions that address the triple bottom line: profit, people and planet. This is especially true nowadays considering the growth of Extended Producer Responsibility regulations. In the European Union (EU), the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) was passed and aims at minimizing packaging waste. In the United States, currently 7 states have already passed EPR packaging laws, and many more are being introduced. Canada’s provinces have packaging EPR for over a decade, and globally more countries will continue to adopt this.  

This growth is not only geographical, but it is also happening in other markets. Similar types of EPR regulations have expanded into textiles. The EU passed a directive in September 2025 for textiles, and California will enforce by 2030 a state-wide textile EPR scheme. Our takeaway is simple: it is not a matter of if it will happen but when it will it happen – EPR will expand to include the Tissue and Towel industry soon.  

With this in mind, at Henkel we are preparing for these shifts and have begun to identify opportunities where adhesives enable performance, sustainability and compliance needs. For example, focusing on concentrated formulas, increasing recycled fibers usage and enabling alternative fiber substrates. For instance, our concentrated adhesive formulations reduce raw materials, minimize transportation and reduce waste during application, lowering overall environmental impact and improving efficiency; The AQUENCE XTRA portfolio increases tissues’ softness, reducing complexity in manufacturing and replacing the use of virgin fibers with recycled ones. Finally, our adhesives allow for innovative designs, bonding alternative fiber substrates such as bamboo, among others. 

Beyond the production floor, Henkel offers solutions that improve logistics efficiency as well, such as optimized palletizing methods that can support in reducing shrink wrap usage and transport emissions. Together, these operational gains lower both costs and carbon footprint, delivering measurable business value for customers. It creates a comprehensive performance and sustainability playbook ready for our customers to use. 

As the industry moves towards sustainability, adhesives become critical system enablers, helping manufacturers optimize their processes, meet regulatory requirements, unlock their sustainability potential, and maintain exceptional product quality. Henkel is committed to leading that transformation.