Eco-friendly solvent paper and Hot Melt, what the differences are

Environmental sustainability is now a central theme for all kinds of companies. This is true for several reasons.

First of all, because the rapid and disastrous advance of climate change requires everyone to rethink their way of doing things, to aim for a quick cut in harmful emissions and in general in the level of pollution caused by singular actions.

But that’s not all: individual companies also have significant economic advantages in improving the sustainability level.

This is because consumers are increasingly inclined to make their own purchasing choices based on the sustainability of products and services as well, with an important and growing share of consumers who are willing to spend a little more to buy the most sustainable option.

And this choice is obviously also reflected throughout the supply chain: in order for a company to present itself as a business attentive to environmental problems, it must also choose sustainable products.

This is why, even when choosing the best adhesive tapes for the sealing of boxes, it is important to understand how to select products that are both effective and environmentally friendly.

On our e-commerce website, for instance, you can buy adhesive tape made with ecological paper; but what are the characteristics of these kinds of adhesive tape? What is the difference between eco-friendly solvent paper and hot melt paper?

Eco-friendly solvent paper and Hot Melt, here are the differences

Let’s begin from a fundamental assumption: aside from some small differences, the paper with which adhesive tape is made is always the same.

In itself, choosing paper tape instead of models made of PVC and PPL can itself be seen as a sustainable choice. But beware: to make the right choice you need to look at the entirety of the adhesive tape, so as to understand what true ecological adhesive tape is.

So, let’s have a look at paper adhesive tape used to seal boxes made of natural rubber.

You could obviously think that this is the most environmentally friendly choice. On the one hand we have a paper support, a material that can be produced – from the right supply chains – with minimal environmental impact.

On the other hand, there’s natural rubber, something that is made thanks to latex extraction from some specific plants. The problem is that, in order to effectively hold the rubber to the paper backing of the adhesive tape, it is necessary to use solvent, reducing the overall sustainability of these types of tape.

Then, there is hot melt paper tape. What is different here isn’t the paper, as mentioned previously, but rather the adhesive used: in this case, it’s a hot melt adhesive, which, however, does not shine in its performance when sealing boxes.

It is in fact an adhesive that doesn’t bear UV rays well and tends to lose its grip quickly if exposed to temperatures above 40 °C (104 °F). However, it so happens that hot melt does not need solvents to effectively cling to the support of the adhesive tape: thus, this chemical, which is made from petroleum derivatives, from a specific point of view, ends up being more environmentally friendly than that made with paper and natural rubber.

Hence the habit of indicating hot melt adhesive tape, which is solvent-free, as an ecological adhesive. It is not the perfect solution, but it is definitely an important step towards a cleaner and healthier world, even in the field of adhesive tape.

It must be noted that these are not the only solutions to be considered when looking for adhesive tape mean to seal ecological boxes with reduced environmental impact: after outlining the differences between solvent and hot melt ecological paper, It is worth giving a closer look to rubberized paper as well. What is it about?

The option of wettable rubberized paper tape

Should you wish to identify the most environmentally friendly solutions for the sealing of boxes, you should look at a definitely atypical kind of tape: wettable adhesive tape.

What is it? It’s a kind of tape which, once played, does not have any special adhesive properties. And this is why the term “wettable” is added: to activate the adhesive you need to use the appropriate dispenser.

Thus, it is possible to have sealing tape that is 100% recyclable, without any solvents, and suitable for both small and large boxes.

What is the ideal solution for your company between natural rubber adhesive tape, hot melt ecological paper tape, and rubberized wettable paper tape?