In this article, you’ll learn:
From the cereal box holding your breakfast table to the shipping carton on your doorstep, glue quietly holds global commerce together.
Every day, we interact with adhesives in many ways,.. For decades, the world relied on petroleum-based synthetics to do this job, but with the industry turning its focus to sustainability, we are seeing an eco-friendly evolution in the future.
As LD Davis heads into our 100th year, we’d like to take a look at the evolution of natural glues, and explore the ways these plant and protein-based adhesives have changed the way we think of glue.
Humans have been masters of adhesives for millennia. Ancient Egyptians used starch pastes to bind papyrus and medieval bookbinders relied on animal proteins to create manuscripts that have stood the test of time. The Industrial Revolution accelerated the shift toward synthetic polymers, allowing manufacturers to quickly produce inexpensive adhesives.
Synthetic adhesives often lack biodegradability and can produce toxic Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) when used. These environmental impacts make eco-friendly glue manufacturers like LD Davis all the more important, as we produce natural adhesives, refined with modern chemistry, to meet the high-speed demands of today’s assembly lines.
Plant-based glue remains a cornerstone of sustainable packaging and paper applications. Since these glues are made from renewable plant material, they offer a carbon-neutral profile that is not possible in synthetic glues. Unlike plastic-based glues, these adhesives are biodegradable. That means that when a consumer recycles a cardboard box held together by these plant-powered adhesives, the glue breaks down cleanly in the repulping process, leaving no microplastics behind.
At LD Davis, these adhesives fall into two categories: dextrin glues and starch glues. Both are derived from renewable plant materials.
Dextrin glues, often referred to as ‘brown glues’, are formulated from natural starches such as corn, potato, or tapioca, Through a controlled process of heat and acid hydrolysis, these starches are brown down into dextrin, a water-soluble carbohydrate. The dextrin is then blended with water and additives, including plasticizers, alkalis, and preservatives, to extend tack, flexibility, and shelf life.
One of the defining features of dextrin glue is that it’s designed to lay flat and resist curing, making it an ideal adhesive for paper-based applications where appearance and precision matter. Dextrin glues bond exceptionally well to paper substrates and perform across a range of temperatures.
Common dextrin glue applications include:
Starch glues are made from natural carbohydrates extracted from plants like corn, potatoes, wheat, and tapioca. When mixed with water and heated, these starches form a sticky adhesive suitable for many manufacturing processes.
LD Davis starch glues are formulated to deliver maximum adhesion performance in applications such as:
Because dextrin and starch glues are plant-based and biodegradable, they support recyclable packaging systems while meeting the efficiency and consistency requirements of modern production environments.
LD Davis is one of the world’s oldest manufacturers and compounders of gelatin glue. Our focus on 100% non-toxic, recyclable, and biodegradable formulations allowed us to be a part of the gelatin glue evolution. Our gelatin glues are made from recycled pharmaceutical and nutritional gelatin, like the kind used in soft and hard pill capsules. Instead of that excess material going into landfills, we transform it into high-performing industrial adhesive.
Due to its composition, gelatin glue is uniquely capable of “lay-flat” properties. This means that it does not warp paper despite having a strong tack. During the manufacturing process, gelatin glue can be very forgiving, making it desirable in the luxury packaging and book binding industries.
Key benefits of gelatin-based adhesives include:
By utilizing pharmaceutical-grade gelatin, LD Davis is able to ensure a level of purity and strength that is unmatched.
Today’s consumers look at the whole package. You cannot recycle a box that uses non-biodegradable glue. And, since natural glues are VOC-free and non-toxic, they create a safer environment not just for consumers, but also for the assembly line workers who manufacture or work with them in their day-to-day.
The history of adhesives has come full circle. We started with simple, natural pastes and moved into complex synthetics throughout the 20th century, and finally returned to using natural, biodegradable ingredients.
At LD Davis, we’re committed to continuing to further the evolution of eco-friendly adhesives. Over the last 100 years, we have dedicated ourselves to innovation and high-performance solutions that set the standards of our industry.
Whether you are in the packaging industry or a bookbinder, LD Davis is committed to providing you with the adhesive solution you need. Contact us today to speak with our sustainable adhesive experts and discover how natural glues can support your goals.