November 18, 2020
Expertise and dedication – key enablers to meet increasing product safety and purity demands
Henkel is thinking ahead for even purer and safer personal hygiene products 

Düsseldorf – As a leading global supplier of adhesives for various personal hygiene applications, Henkel is constantly innovating to create unique value for its customers. Besides its quality solutions for processes and products, the company also offers customers and consumers dependability in the areas of health, safety and purity in these challenging times.

The COVID-19 pandemic means health and safety have never been more important. According to a recent Accenture study, 75% of consumers are now more health-aware when shopping. On the supply-side this means that as well as producing high-quality products efficiently, producers must address rising expectations of product safety and purity. Hence consumers demand to know exactly what they are buying and using for their personal hygiene needs. The regulatory environment in the fields of baby diapers, feminine care and adult incontinence products has been ambiguous when it comes to substances of interest (SoIs), spawning uncertainty. Henkel actively commits to transparency in its processes and solutions, helping reassure customers and consumers in the process.

Henkel’s initiative to take a leading role within the industry concerning safety & purity
Henkel’s dedicated European-based cross-functional team comprises experts from the fields of corporate analytics, toxicology and dedicated market- and customer-facing teams, including marketing, sales, business development and technical customer service (TCS). These experts collaborate closely to identify potential sources of SoIs in personal hygiene products and implement programs and solutions to reduce their presence.

As Camilla Ohlson, Market Strategy Manager Personal Hygiene Adhesives EIMEA explains: “Product safety is crucial for us and a top priority in all we do. We have been running a comprehensive program for many years and striving to constantly improve product safety and purity. We advocate three key enabling principles: consciously selecting raw materials and partners, assessing and optimizing portfolios on an ongoing basis and showing expertise and commitment to serve and support our customers in their work towards ever safer and purer products.”

Safety and purity by design – the Henkel product portfolio
Henkel’s product development department constantly assesses and optimizes the product portfolio, in product safety and purity terms as well as performance. Henkel is running a dedicated testing program around the current regulatory framework, including a clear strategy on how to ensure and verify adherence to current standards. Henkel uses the latest analytical test methods and equipment to test its products, both in house as well as in industry-recognized laboratories, with careful attention to validate analytical methods are correctly chosen and samples correctly prepared to ensure reliable results.

As part of EDANA’s Stewardship Program for Absorbent Hygiene Products, Henkel’s experts are also actively involved in shaping standards going forward, to ensure the industry is moving towards regulations that serve consumers in the most relevant and efficient way. Henkel is also exploring innovative ways to open up new opportunities and even better solutions.
One example of such innovation is the tailormade polyolefin adhesive range of Technomelt Advance. It was developed together with a partner supplier to meet specific personal hygiene industry needs, namely to minimize chemical odor and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). The MED range is designed to meet the most demanding medical industry needs, including applications for medical facemasks, isolation gowns and surgical drapes. Henkel optimizes not only the products, but also helps its customers with production processes to minimize hazards and impurities when handling adhesives. The latest innovation Easyflow – a cutting-edge hot-melt adhesive based on a new pressure sensitive product form – enables safe and efficient delivery in production. It also breaks new ground in process performance and efficiency by offering melt-on-demand capabilities derived from the patented product form, closed system integration to eliminate foreign materials in hot-melt tanks and auto feeding to keep production moving. This minimizes the melt history of the adhesive and the time allowed for any buildup of VOC and odor.

“At Henkel, we aim to remain ahead of regulatory developments and market requirements. We are proud and happy to be able to assemble a strong set of skills and solutions and – most importantly – experienced teams, providing optimal customer service as a strong and reliable partner when it comes to product safety and purity in the personal hygiene field,” Camilla Ohlson concludes.
For more information, please visit Henkel’s website here
About Henkel
Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2019, Henkel reported sales of more than 20 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of more than 3.2 billion euros. Henkel employs more than 52,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com.

Photo material is available at www.henkel.com/press

Contact:	 Daniela Tonn	
Email:	 daniela.tonn@henkel.com	

Press office: Rashid Elshahed
Telephone: +49 89 12 44 51 98 
Email:	 henkel.adhesive-technologies@emanatepr.com

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

The following photo material is available:

Be selective: through careful and conscious selection of the best ingredients and suppliers Henkel supports customers in delivering the best results.

Be curious: to protect the most sensitive among us, Henkel strives to continuously improve by staying curious and challenging itself and the industry.

Be knowledgeable: knowledge is fundamental for managing complex tasks, such as ensuring top-class product safety & purity. The Henkel team works with customers to drive this development forward.

Technomelt Advance - a next generation hotmelt adhesive - providing increased production efficiency whilst improving both safety & quality.