1st Prize BIOPOLYMER Award 2023

Thuringian Institute for Textile and Plastics Research (TITK) eV (Germany)

Innovation: Caremelt® Bio-Hot Glue

Caremelt® is a fully bio-based, biodegradable hot melt adhesive that is not only suitable for short-term or disposable products, but can also be used in furniture, textiles, shoes, or books, for example. Thanks to its good industrial processability, its application profile is comparable to that of many conventional adhesives.

Jury statement

Hot melt adhesives can be found in many products today and have long since conquered the DIY market. Up to a fifth of all adhesives today fall into this category! Yet, until now, no fully bio-based and biodegradable hot melt adhesive has been available on the market. This is all the more remarkable given that, for technical and economic reasons, bonds can only rarely be removed from products. Adhesives therefore often end up in the environment as microplastics – for example, due to product use and wear, improper disposal, or other circumstances. The researchers and developers at TITK have therefore turned their attention to a problem whose solution is as long overdue as it is technically challenging! The courage of the TITK team led by project manager Andreas Krypczyk in taking on this challenge and the result impressed the jury equally: When Caremelt® enters the environment, it fully reintegrates into natural cycles through microorganisms and natural degradation processes. Furthermore, as a fully bio-based adhesive, it is CO2-neutral. The adhesive's properties and application profile are comparable to those of established hot melt adhesives, with the slightly lower thermal resistance being taken into account. The patent-pending composition of polylactic acid (PLA), polysuccinic acid (PBS), terpene and rosin resins, natural waxes, and citric acid derivatives is suitable not only for short-life products such as shopping bags, diapers, or cardboard boxes. Thanks to this new development from Thuringia, adhesive bonds can also be biodegradable in shoes, textiles, wood, metal or furniture parts, and books.

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