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

Sustainability is at the top of the agenda of industrial stakeholders, who are increasingly aware of the crucial part they have to play. But the way to go can still intimidate and shut ambitions down. There is good news though: the combination of growth and profitability is possible and can set the new metrics.

Measuring the level of ambition and the speed of the transition of an organization, and benchmarking it against its peers is now possible with adequate tools. Some already exist and show how stakeholders tackle this challenge of combining growth and profitability. While many players progress, adequate tooling helps to see which ones go quicker than the others, and which ones have a higher level of boldness than the others.

Isabelle Kocher de Leyritz will investigate how measuring the transition can help organizations seize their full potential, set up the right level of ambition, and disclose it to their markets with an impactful perspective.

For decades, sustainable development has been discussed as a key to design our common future. However, this includes the need for a fundamental transformation of businesses that have been thriving before and thus see change as a scary thing. Now that the planetary boundaries become ever more evident, pressure seems to be growing: Regulators, customers, investors, employees and media are asking more and more frequently about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and about companies’ impact on Environment, Social Aspects and Governance (ESG). How can companies get the big picture for a more sustainable future and proactively shape it?

Billions of euros are being channelled into sustainable alternatives such as renewable energies and the organic sector. The trend is: economic change instead of climate change.

A forward-looking culture strengthens the trust of stakeholders and the resilience of your organization. With practical examples from small and big companies, from conservative and innovative industries, this presentation provides orientation for reinventing and seizing opportunities.

Tina Teucher’s keynote includes concrete tips and tools on how sustainable and regenerative innovations can lead to success and what each individual decision-maker can do to achieve this in their business environment. For savings, satisfaction within the company and future expertise.

In this session, Stefan Schoonbrood, Managing Partner of MbarQ, will delve into the transformative power of artificial intelligence, focusing on the new wave of generative AI and its immense business potential. AI is no longer a futuristic concept but a present-day reality accessible to everyone. Stefan will explore how AI democratization empowers organizations of all sizes to leverage its capabilities for competitive advantage.

Stefan will share case-based insights to help you understand why the business potential is present in every business process in every industry and how companies can effectively organize and position themselves to scale AI throughout their operations. Join Stefan to learn how to navigate the AI landscape, overcome common challenges, and unlock the true value of AI for your organization.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in manufacturing is not just about isolated applications; it’s about creating a cohesive ecosystem where each AI solution contributes to a larger narrative of innovation and efficiency. This presentation will explore how AI seamlessly integrates into the fabric of manufacturing operations, enhancing processes and empowering decision-makers.

We’ll discuss the implementation of AI to maintain the highest standards of product integrity and workplace safety. By employing AI for real-time monitoring and analysis, manufacturers can proactively address potential issues, from production line contamination to equipment maintenance needs, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted workflow.

The conversation will also touch upon the EU AI Act, considering its role in shaping a responsible AI landscape within the manufacturing sector. As we look ahead, we’ll share insights into how AI is poised to further revolutionize the industry, not just in individual tasks but as a holistic force driving the future of manufacturing.

AI appears to be taking the world by storm, enabling solutions that were previously impossible. This presentation gives you a high-level introduction with a focus on the possibilities, a basic understanding of AI, and how to efficiently apply it in your own business.

The textile industry exerts a substantial environmental toll, responsible for 1.2 billion tons of CO2 emissions annually—10% of global emissions—alongside 20% of water pollution and 20% natural resource consumption. With over 116 billion garments produced yearly, 78% require disassembly before textile-to-textile recycling, as they are made of different materials and/or have disruptors that hinder recycling such as zippers, buttons and other trims. Only 1% of the textile production is recycled, largely because of the complexity of disassembly – a mandatory pre-recycling process. Resortecs addresses this challenge with innovative eco-design solutions: Smart Stitch™ threads, which dissolve under specific heat conditions, and the Smart Disassembly™ service, featuring industrial thermal systems that dissolve Smart Stitch™ threads without harming the fabric. This approach disassembles products up to 15 times faster, reclaiming double the materials and facilitating easier repair and recycling. Resortecs’ Design for Disassembly not only minimizes waste but also fosters a robust circular economy. Collectors benefit from discarded clothing, sorters profit by selling materials to recyclers, and recyclers receive pure feedstock, enhancing yields and revenue. Brands gain through eco-modulation fees, meeting the growing demand for sustainable practices. This holistic approach accelerates the textile industry’s circular transition at the pace Earth urgently needs.

We’re at a crossroads. Certainly since the COVID-19 crisis but even before that, we have been evolving into a world with many new types of disruptions. There’s this potent cocktail of global platforms, information, artificial intelligence, and automation that is accelerating the pace of change. But technology is no longer the biggest driver of disruption. What’s coming at us is ecological, biological, societal and geopolitical in nature. These many disruptions are going to evolve into seismic shocks that will completely overturn how we live and work.

This is a world in permanent flux. One where ‘normal’ keeps getting redefined. Are you ready for that? Is your organization? In this keynote, Peter Hinssen uncovers how companies, leaders and employees will need to adapt to survive and thrive in the Never Normal.

The curing process or hardening of epoxy resins requires the addition of crosslinking agents that transform the polymer into an insoluble crosslinked polymer, a three-dimensional network of covalent bonds, chemically very stable, with excellent mechanical properties. Although there are several types of hardeners, amines and polyamides are the most commonly used for epoxy resins. However, they present low equivalent weight compared to epoxy resins, which complicates the mixing process, and low molecular weight, leading to odor and toxicity problems due to their high volatility. Moreover, in the industry, the curing agents used are based on petroleum derivatives amines.

In this study, curing agents based on poly(amidoamines) have been obtained from residual vegetable oils as raw materials, due to their low cost, biodegradability and availability. They are composed of mixtures of fatty acids and glycerol esters, which, together with the unsaturation of double bonds, have allowed obtaining poly(amidoamines) capable of forming crosslinked polymers.

Experimental variables during synthesis have been evaluated. The samples properties have been characterized, obtaining that the reaction yield and the %conversion to poly(amidoamine) mainly depend on the stoichiometric ratio and the reaction temperature, as well as the glass transition temperature of the epoxy resin cured with the different poly(amidoamines) prepared.

Co-authors: Francisca Aran Ais, Daniel Sepulcre

Petroleum-derived materials are becoming less attractive for several reasons creating an incentive for alternative renewable sources with comparable or better properties and cost.  Bio-based resins synthesized from epoxidized oils typically contain aliphatic, disubstituted oxirane rings which are nearly unreactive with traditional epoxy curative systems, such as amines and polyamides. Given the advantages that these ingredients offer, it would be useful to have a way of using these materials more broadly than what has been possible to date due to limited reactivity of these epoxides with conventional epoxide curatives. The current teachings relate to a two-component system with one side containing epoxide functional constituents and one side containing acidic materials, where one or both components are comprised of one or more bio-based constituents. The resulting polymeric composition is an optionally foaming adhesive that may contain over 90% renewable organic carbon content.  Foaming materials are used in applications such as sealing and noise, vibration, and harshness reduction where low density, adhesion to multiple substrates, and accounting for variable gap thickness may be beneficial or required. Potential uses include seals, gaskets, closure strips, isolators, damping materials, and general gap filling.

The increasing global awareness of limited resources and the need to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions are deeply impacting industry. Rising demands from the market, combined with ambitious targets set by international legislators pave the way for innovative new solutions in adhesive bonding technology.

To enable a sustainable future production using adhesives we propose a holistic 3-step approach focusing on the whole value chain: First the raw materials should be obtained from a renewable or recycled source. Therefore, we are introducing the mass balance concept for bio-based epoxy resins, enabling a reduction of the product carbon footprint by up to 85%. Moreover, state-of-the-art packaging is an integral part of an innovative adhesive product and needs to be considered when focusing on sustainability.  The presented cartridge systems are either based on 100% recycled thermoplastics or allow a reduction of waste by up to 75%, using a novel collapsible design. Finally and above all, adhesive bonding needs to be durable and allow straightforward repair and recycling. As a consequence, Debonding on Demand is of great importance, leading us to the introduction of an innovative multi compatible primer system allowing a fast and clean debonding process via thermally induced gas formation.