Henkel Enlightens the Future of Textiles with Sustainable Adhesive Solutions

As one of the most influential events in the underwear industry, SIUF provides a platform for both domestic and international brands to showcase their cutting-edge products and R&D developments. This year, Henkel demonstrated its innovative portfolio of adhesives for underwear, sportswear and outdoor apparel via visual, touchable and immersive booth experiences.

“Consumers expect more sustainability from the products they use, and textiles are no exception. We want to support the industry to not just meet consumer expectations but to proactively set ever higher sustainability ambitions, " said Rajat Agarwal, President of Henkel Greater China and Global Head Lifestyle Adhesives.

Innovative technology to create a comfortable and seamless experience

Seamless adhesive dispensing compound technology, with the advantage of high production efficiency, multiple base material options and flexible design, has become a leading trend in the textile industry. At SIUF, Henkel highlighted its seamless adhesive dispensing composite solutions, which can be widely applied in the production of underwear, sportswear, outdoor apparel, and more.

As consumers increasingly demand both comfort and style, seamless underwear has gradually become a popular choice. Henkel’s seamless dispensing compound adhesives can be applied under low application temperatures and with long open time. With different products for different operational processes, the compound provides excellent adhesion to the base materials and maintains a soft feel when fully set, making it very suitable for the underwear, which requires high elasticity and comfort.

In addition to underwear, the application of highly-resilient Polyurethane Reactive (PUR) technology can effectively improve the comfort and performance of sportswear and outdoor apparel. Since Henkel’s hot-melt adhesive technology requires low dispensing temperatures and provides strong initial adhesion to PTFE films, it builds a solid waterproof barrier while easily exhausting perspiration to achieve both water resistance and breathability.

Moreover, fabrics can be compounded with less adhesive via the invisible bonding of glue points, thereby providing customers with an ideal choice that offers outstanding performance, environmental protection and cost-effectiveness.

Henkel also set up an interactive area for intimate clothing and ready-to-wear solutions, to intuitively introduce the bonding application of Henkel’s adhesives in various apparels. In addition, Henkel displayed adhesives solutions with high water repellency and high moisture permeability, bronzing fabric liquid PUR solutions, masks and protective clothing solutions. For diversified textile application scenarios such as urban fashion, home leisure, outdoor sports and health care, Henkel has adapted solutions to accurately break down production pain points and effectively improve user experience, leading to the continuous advancement of the textile and apparel industry.

Leading in the sustainable development of textiles 

Henkel has been awarded the world-renowned Bluesign and Oeko-Tex 100 certifications for leading the way in sustainable development and ecological supply chains in the field of compound adhesives for textiles. For example, TECHNOMELT PUR achieved the Bluesign certificate thanks to its outstanding characteristics, including its discrete odor, easy adhesion to most high-performance fabrics and excellent water-repellent performance.

The health and environmentally-preferable attributes of Henkel products guarantee customers green and efficient production. At the booth, some quality underwear manufacturers demonstrated how to apply Henkel's seamless dispensing compound technology on their seamless underwear dispensers, which strongly demonstrated the cooperation between Henkel and the whole supply chain to enlighten the future.

Along with technological innovation, Henkel is also committed to creating greater value for customers and consumers through digitized channels and services. During the exhibition, multiple interactive screens intuitively displayed Henkel’s diversified applications, while digital interactive programs allowed visitors to uncover the secrets of Henkel adhesives hidden in the closet. In addition, digital tools, such as Henkel’s 1688 Official Online Flagship Store and AI Technical Expert, helped customers navigate the entire process, from consultation, to product selection, purchase and after-sales services, via a “one-stop” digital channel.

In the future, Henkel will continue to drive digital transformation, promote technologically advanced R&D process and empower the textile industry with high-quality, ecological and safe product portfolios and solutions.