>> Karen Parker, editor-in-chief
FROM THE EDITOR
Susan Sutton served as Editor-in-Chief, Integrated Media, of ASI magazine for many years. If you wish to send a letter to the editor, please contact Tom Fowler at fowlert@bnpmedia.com. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.
A Day to Celebrate Adhesives and Sealants
Did you know that there is a special day set aside to celebrate adhesives and sealants? There is! International Adhesive and Sealant Day is celebrated every year on September 29. The day is intended to feature the important role that adhesives and sealants play in our everyday lives and their many contributions to industry and efforts to build a more sustainable future.
The idea to create a special day to recognize the important role of adhesives and sealants was proposed at the 2022 World Adhesive and Sealant Conference (WAC), which took place in Chicago. Associations for the industry, including the Adhesive and Sealant Council in the United States, Europe’s FEICA, and Asia’s ARAC, have embraced the idea. Association websites celebrating the day feature ways adhesives and sealants contribute to the wellbeing of our lives and give some interesting statistics on the impact of the industry worldwide.
According to FEICA, approximately 45,000 individuals are directly employed by the adhesive and sealant industry globally. In the EU, adhesives and sealants contributed approximately €19.9 billion to the EU’s economy in 2022. The ASC reports that in 2022, 10.3 billion pounds of adhesives and sealants were produced in North America in 2022, valued at more than $22 billion. Adhesives and sealants are utilized in many segments of industry, including building and construction, industrial and assembly applications, healthcare, agriculture and food production, transportation, textiles and fashion, and electronics.
The industry also plays an important role in sustainability efforts. As automotive suppliers have worked to create more sustainable products, adhesives have been there to support their effort, contributing to lightweighting of vehicles that allows automotive manufacturers to produce cars that are lighter and therefore more fuel efficient, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As the world moves towards electric vehicles, adhesives and sealants are playing their role in helping to make battery packs safer, among other things. Adhesive and sealant products are helping to make building products save energy as they keep out the elements, make building more air-tight and energy efficient. Sealants can help to manage the water supply as they help prevent water loss to water infrastructure and other critical piping. And, as people call for more recyclable products, new innovation in adhesive and sealant technology will allow for better recyclability and repairability in products. While adhesives and sealants are often overlooked when compared to more obvious, flashy products, it is clear they play a very important role in many parts of people’s lives. It seems very appropriate they should have their own day to be recognized.
