Co-funded by EU's financial instrument supporting environmental, nature conservation
and climate action
projects
LIFE12 ENV/IT/000423
The Fameccanica project LIFE GLUELESS™ “Petrol based Glue and Energy consumption reduction in diapers production processes” demonstrates to industry and policy makers that significant environmental impact reduction in Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHP), such as diapers, can be realized, with appropriate solutions.
Gluing can be replaced by innovating combinations of thermo welding and ultrasonic bonding, which allow reductions in the use of petrochemical-based glue with significant energy and costs savings.
The project started July 1st, 2013 and ended Dec. 31st, 2016, with the contribution of the Life+ financial instrument of the European Commission.
The PARTNER “Sustainable Industrial Systems group” at UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, carried out Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing to estimate environmental and economic savings.
The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with European added value.
LIFE began in 1992 and at present there have been three complete phases of the programme (LIFE I: 1992-1995, LIFE II: 1996-1999 and LIFE III: 2000-2006). During this period, LIFE has co-financed some 3104 projects across the EU, contributing approximately with €2.2 billion to the protection of the environment.
The removal of more than 65% of glue, by using alternative bonding technology for diaper manufacture, assisted by the improved design of glueless diapers, has led to a reduction in material requirements and a saving of manufacturing energy.
In particular, GLUELESS™ disposable baby diapers have had:
Saving results, annual production (Glue + all other changes)
Raw Materials (kt)
192Avoid municipal waste generation by 405.000 people
GWP (kt CO2 eq.)
184PED (TJ)
15601Compensate annual final energy consumption of 270.000 EU households
Costs (million EUR)
218Thermal welding and ultrasonic system to replace current gluing processes
Acquisition Distribution Layers (ADL) are sub-layers designed to accelerate the absorption and distribution of fluid on Diapers, Underpads, etc.
GLUELESS™ ADL application on the topsheet, welded with Ultrasonic System, allows:
Details of GLUELESS™ sample
Details of GLUELESS™ sample
Details of GLUELESS™ sample
Comparative tests (methodics defined with Fater partner) of product performance vs. traditional technologies show that the GLUELESS™ solution offers:
Peel Force Test confirmed a good attitude of NW Topsheet and ADL to be welded.
The GLUELESS™ solution, with Cuff Elastics mechanically fixed between two layers of nonwoven in intermittent mode, allows:
for each baby diaper machine.
Details of GLUELESS™ sample
Details of GLUELESS™ sample
Comparative tests (methodics defined with Fater partner) of product performance vs. traditional technologies show:
Intermittent Entrapment
Fameccanica Patent Pending Solution
The innovation consists of the in-line creation of a complete assembly including:
Commercial Benchmark
GLUELESS™ Landing Zone
Details of GLUELESS™ sample
Fameccanica has realized and validated a proper Absorbent Core Design, that allows:
for each baby diaper machine.
Comparative tests (methodics defined with Fater partner) of product performance vs. traditional technologies show
Details of GLUELESS™ sample
Details of GLUELESS™ sample
In GLUELESS™ solution, Back and/or Front Ear Application is realized without glue reinforcement. It allows:
per year for each baby diaper machine.
Comparative tests (methodics defined with partner Fater) vs. traditional technologies show that the GLUELESS™ solution offers equivalent results in terms of strength of the side seal, confirming that the welding strength is higher than the breaking point of the ear itself.