FEICA 2024 European Adhesive & Sealant Conference and EXPO
NH Conference Centre, Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands - 11-13 September 2024

Climate change is a global crisis. How we tackle climate change in this decade will determine the remaining leeway for the upcoming ones. It is everyone’s business to take action now.

The petrochemical industry could account for roughly half of global oil demand growth until 2040. Oil demand for petrochemicals can be reduced through increasing plastic waste recycling and use or renewable raw materials to produce polymers and chemicals. Neste is a company which makes fighting climate change possible today, helping customers to make their business more sustainable.  Over the past 15 years, Neste has transformed itself from a regional oil refinery towards a global leader in renewable solutions, and one of the most sustainable companies in the world. In this speech, Neste will shed a light on this transformation and how value chain collaboration already results in significant reduction of GHG emissions today.

Nothing beats a live demo to demonstrate how things works. Torsten will guide you through a training module for professionals using adhesives and sealants. In this demo you will learn the ins and outs of the web-based training for adhesives and sealants. The demo is followed by a Q&A, enabling you to ask any question you may still have.

Frank Van Elten coordinates the PU Training Platform for Isopa/Alipa and the PU Alliance, of which FEICA is a member. He will explain the concept of the training platform and show via a live demo how the different training materials of the various partners are made available. You will learn about the language availability, the various formats (web-based, in-house, face-to-face), the quiz, certification, admin and trainer account, use of vouchers, and so on. At the end of the Master Class we have foreseen ample time for questions.

The REACH Restriction on Diisocyanates impacts the entire PU industry and users of PU applications. In his presentation, Torsten will explain the cooperation within the so-called PU Exchange Panel and the PU Alliance, and its different actors. Also, how National Authorities are handling the REACH Restriction on Diisocyanates in the Members States will be covered. At the end of the Master Class we have foreseen ample time for questions.

Paula will kick off the Master Class with a short introduction of the REACH Restriction on Diisocyanates. She will guide you through the main elements of the regulation.  What is the scope and aim of this regulation? What is the timing, the effects? Who is concerned? What is not in the regulation?, are some of the questions she will address. At the end of the Master Class we have foreseen ample time for questions.

Over the past few years in the corporate world, we have had much more awareness on the need for diversity and its business case. Now it is time we also look to understanding why inclusion matters. We all look to attract great talent, drive employee engagement, and improve retention as great people doing their best work are what help us meet our customers’ needs and drive innovative solutions to big problems. During this presentation, we will explore why inclusion matters and the pitfalls of not having an inclusive culture, the actions that Henkel is taking so far and what we can look to in the future, and finally, how we can all better engage through both big and small actions to have and outsized impact.

Over the last few years, a vast body of research around the world from well-known universities, consulting groups and institutions, like Catalyst, Gartner, and McKinsey, for example, have documented that diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives benefit individuals, organizations, teams, and society. Much of this research also draws direct correlations between diversity in the workplace and improved business performance. In this masterclass, Ritu Paul will share her own personal story and explore why D&I matters. While connecting to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts and focusing on key imperative areas, like talent, innovation, reputation, and finance performance, the discussion also will consider how we can lead and support these efforts across our industry. If the D&I goal is important, we can certainly say the journey is equality important. With this in mind, Dr. Paul will share examples of both corporate and community initiatives that will give participants insights and inspiration that they may leverage in their own business practices and promote D&I across their sector(s).

We have analysed the problems and have been bombarded with reports. The UN meets every year, and the reality is not improving.

This is called the “analysis – paralysis”. Then we see thousands of companies committing to net zero in 2030 some even push forward to 2050. There is a plethora of technologies that promise the turnaround and yet – statistics are worse than ever before.

The author of The Blue Economy with over 10 billion euro invested, with 3 unicorns on record, and with +200 projects implemented shares how we can all make a difference by changing the business model, and to resolutely embrace innovations that are considered impossible.

In his presentation, Prof. Dr Andreas Groß from Fraunhofer IFAM presents his vision for the further development of adhesive bonding and sealing technology as the joining technology for the 21st century under the concept of ‘controlled longevity’. This is the equal, inseparable combination of the safety of adhesively bonded products and their eco-balanced efficiency, which leads to a sustainable synergism that expands the areas of application.

The indisputable performance of adhesive bonding when it comes to safety and eco-balanced efficiency is, however, not yet anchored in the public opinion. Translating knowledge from the expert level to the public domain is imperative for the benefits of adhesive and sealant technology to become recognised.

Prof. Dr Groß will explain how a lack of information or even misinformation about adhesives and sealants in the general public may influence the decision process of legislators. Education with product- and technology- neutral information is key to improve the awareness of adhesives and sealants as the joining technology of the future.

The book ‘Adhesive bonding technology in the 21st century – Synergy of technological and ecological potentials’ by Prof. Dr Bernd Mayer and Prof. Dr Andreas Groß of Fraunhofer IFAM, Bremen, was commissioned by FEICA to provide an overview of the various aspects of the industry, today and in the future.

AI applications are increasingly being developed, but the exciting world of opportunities and possibilities includes other important issues related to sustainability: privacy, ethics, energy consumption and liability. The discrepancy between what the AI developers create, what the customer buys, and what the government wants has increased the complexity bias on the topic. In this session, Mieke will split the current known issues in the good, the bad and the ugly. She takes her audience beyond the tipping point by demystifying the technology and by removing the current tension between the believers and the non-believers. By comparing both human and artificial intelligence anno 2022, the audience also easily understands that we need to accept the fact that both forms of intelligence are great, but just different.