HB Fuller considers food safety as of the utmost importance and key to sustaining life and promoting good health. As more consumers are adopting an “anti-single use plastic” mindset and governments are reacting with a sense of urgency, paper straws are now becoming an increasingly important alternative. As a result, its team in India has launched Swifttak PS5600-I, a food-safe adhesive for the paper straw market.

Developed by local HB Fuller scientists, the new water-based technology enables improved food-safe solutions that maintain straw integrity while the consumer is enjoying a beverage, and create durable paper straws that withstand three-hour resistance in a wide range of liquids, including water, juices, soft drinks, and milk. Straws made with Swifttak adhesives meet FDA 176.170 regulatory.

“No matter if you are starting your paper straw business, expanding your portfolio from plastic to paper, or simply upgrading your technology to be high water-resistant, choosing the right adhesive is key to creating a safe, long-lasting paper straw that maintains its integrity during use and that help reduce environmental footprint,” said Harsh Gupta, IMEA managing director. “Our new Swifttak PS5600-I is really at the forefront of innovation while being plasticiser-free, and by offering more than three-hour liquid resistance and greater operational efficiencies.”

The company has advanced its grade of adhesives for very fast-moving paper straw machines, taking manufacturing to a new level of efficiency and product quality. Swifttak supports fast-setting products that are easier and cleaner to work with and cause less wear and tear on machinery. Hence, this straw solution allows manufacturers to focus more on product quality and output and less on operational concerns. Additionally, as beverage brands, restaurants, and corporations make the transition from plastic to paper straws, it is important that they offer liquid-resistant, compliant, and food-safe straws made for a more sustainable future.

By leveraging its laboratory in Shirwal, near Pune, the HB Fuller R&D team worked closely with specialised paper and machine manufacturers to customise the formulation for high-speed paper straw production and address specific applications and equipment. Having this capability and technical knowledge based in India, allows the global company to test adhesives with manufacturers’ paper samples prior to running the adhesive on their paper straw lines — providing the confidence in product performance before halting regular production to trial a new material.

“The industry is steadily moving towards more eco-friendly processes and components. Adhesives, a small, yet central, actor in the change towards circularity and sustainability, are now helping manufacturers address major concerns with plastic and tackling the paper straw market needs to continue to grow in popularity and usage,” Gupta concluded.