„Can I have that in a writing form please?“

When the telephone rings in our application technology laboratory, the caller isn't always asking about the best way to bond materials. Sometimes the caller simply says: "Could you please send us a verification that your glue is vegan?" – or halal or kosher or something else. Things which only put a hint of a smile on someone's face can make an important competitive difference for a packaging manufacturer.

Packages and folding cartons normally need adhesives to be closed securely, whether they are made out of cardboard, carton, paper or plastics. Especially the use of packaging in the food-processing industry requires the observance of many regulations and guidelines in addition to the implementation of pure business, aesthetic and information aspects.

Over the coming Christmas period, christmas calendars with chocolate contents will probably once again be checked for contamination caused by MOSH & MOAH. These abbreviations are used to describe two different groups of chemical compounds: MOSH stands for Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons, MOAH for Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Both compounds are suspected of being carcinogenic.

In this case, it is not only the paper material which is being carefully checked. All materials used during the packaging process are examined very accurately. After some finds of mineral oil contamination over the last few years, the manufactures are keen on safeguarding themselves.

Nobody knows the exact number of vegetarians and vegans worldwide. Estimates assume 7.8 million vegetarians, in other words almost 10% of the population, and up to 900,000 vegans alone in Germany. A study carried out by the IFHP Cologne in 2014 shows that this trend is also continuing, and the market continues to grow.

However, giving up animal products doesn't just end at the foodstuffs in this case. Vegan packaging and manufacture are being discussed in the associated scene with considerable controversy. In this case, veganism and vegetarianism are life attitudes which stretch considerably beyond the borders of nutrition. Manufacturers of vegan or vegetarian products therefore often follow the requirements of verifying a complete animal products-free supply chain. For example, glue made on the basis of casein, which is used to fix labels, would not meet this requirement.

You can receive the necessary certificates from our application laboratory so that you can verify in writing, in case of doubt, that the adhesives used are "halal", "kosher" or do not contain any substances with animal origins.


Any questions?