The paper bag sector is a booming market on an international scale and more and more paper bags are being consumed around the world every day, to the detriment of plastic ones. Aware of this reality, in the Concentrol adhesives division there is a department that works focusing on the research and investigation of paper bags, an essential product for modern life that serves to preserve, protect and transport goods, among others.
Concentrol’s paper bag department consists of a series of industrial adhesive lines, such as water-based adhesives in the TACKTROL range and hot melt adhesives in the NETMELT range, designed for the manufacturing of paper bags, providing a specific and successful solution for each type of substrate.
THE PAPER BAG MARKET: A GLOBAL LOOK
Globally, the paper bag sector accounts for about $ 4.7 billion, with sustained growth of 4.4% to reach $ 6.4 billion in 2025. If we focus on the Spanish market, we can see how this sector grew by 9.8% in 2019, with a volume of € 790 million, and this amount is expected to increase to € 1,050 million in 2027.
Regarding the habits of consumers regarding these products, it is estimated that in 2019 their use increased by 9.8%, and that they are now the preferred alternative for consumers and traders.
In general, it is expected that in the near future strict regulations on plastic bags will raise the consumption rates of paper bags exponentially.
A SUSTAINABLE AND ECOLOGICAL PRODUCT
Many of the people who opt for paper bags do so because these products are profitable and also environmentally friendly. Paper bags have 4 main characteristics that make their use have the least impact on the environment::
- They are renewable because their raw material, which is cellulose fibre, is inexhaustible because it is grown in a very specific way in responsibly managed forests.
- They are biodegradable. Because they are made from natural fibres and printed with water-based inks, these products degrade in a very short time and leave no negative mark on the environment.
- They are recyclable. These products can be recycled up to six times. In this way, the useful life of the product is extended and the volume of waste in landfills is minimized.
- They are reusable. It is estimated that paper bags can be used at least five more times after purchase.
PAPER BAGS: WHAT TYPES ARE THERE, WHAT ARE THEY MADE OF AND HOW ARE THEY MADE?
Les bosses de paper estan formades per tres parts principals: unes anses, que poden ser arrissades, planes o encunyades; una part ampla anomenada fons de bossa i que està formada per diferents plecs units entre si amb adhesiu a base d’aigua; i la costura lateral, que és la unió del tub de la bossa i se sol fer amb adhesius termofusibles o a base d’aigua.
Paper bags are made up of three main parts: handles, which can be curled, flat or die-cut; a wide part, the bottom of the bag, which is made up of different folds joined together with water-based adhesive; and the side seam, which is the joint of the bag tube and is usually made with hot-melt or water-based adhesives.
Paper bags can have different models depending on how they are designed and the purpose you want to give them. Among the existing ones, the most common are: bags with a flat handle, with a twisted handle, with a drawstring handle, with a stamped handle, with an SOS (Self Opening System) type, paper sacks, bags for bread or pastries and the e-commerce envelope.
The materials with which paper bags are formed allows us to differentiate them into four types:
- Coated paper. This type of paper is composed of a cellulose support and a series of layers of stucco are added that contain mineral and organic compounds that give the paper new properties to receive ink during the printing process. This is what makes it the hardest and most problematic paper to stick to.
- Kraft paper. The weight of the paper will depend on the type of bag you want to make, although the most used are 90 to 120 gr./m2.
- Verjured Kraft paper. The main characteristic of this material is its wavy texture: a series of perpendicular and parallel lines cross the sheet horizontally.
- Plain paper or Havana. It is the paper with the most ecological connotations because they are exposed to fewer chemical processes, which is why it is the favourite of companies with corporate bags.
At the production plant, the materials go through a series of processes to end up achieving the final result of the paper bags. It should be noted that the manufacturing processes will be different depending on whether the bag should be anonymous or printed.
After printing the paper on the spool and inserting the printed spool into the machine, the wings are positioned and cut. The wings are then created, glued to the reinforced paper, folded and reinforced. After that, the tube is folded, the bottom of the bag and its opening are made and glued by means of the feeler roller. The last step is to seal the bottom of the bag.
THE CONCENTROL RANGES
Concentrol has seven lines of paper bags divided into two ranges: the Hotmelt NETMELT and the water based TACKTROL.
The NETMELT range of hot melt adhesives is made from solid hot melt materials that are subjected to heat so that they melt before being applied. These materials return to their original solid state once cooled, providing complete bonding strength. Specifically, the lines in this range are:
- NETMELT PLUS, based on metallocenes. It is used to attach the inner handles of a paper sandwich, as well as to make the side seam of the bag.
- NETMELT PC, based on EVA. As above, it is also used to attach the inner handles of a paper sandwich, as well as to sew the side of the bag.
- The NETMELT TACK-PSA, based on rubber. It is a product with a lot of initial tack. Used to close E-commerce envelopes.
The TACKTROL range of water-based adhesives is composed of synthetic or natural organic polymers in aqueous suspension and modified according to the application. They are very easy to handle and clean, with a very high curing speed. Concentrol lines in this range are:
- Water-based TACKTROL. Depending on the various possible formulations, these products can be used to attach the handle to the inside of the bag, to the side of the bag and to attach the bottom.
Because Concentrol is a manufacturer, it has the ability to modify some specific features of the range of adhesives. Given that the different needs, productivity and processes of customers vary depending on the climate and the location of the production plants, the company can adapt elements such as viscosity, initial tack or open time of the lines.
Concentrol has created a strategy to promote and make its products more visible in the Spanish market. In addition to Spain, the company also wants to position its products in this sector on a national and European scale, focusing on locations in Germany, France and the UK.
At Concentrol we work day after day to offer the most efficient chemical solutions to our customers. In addition, we always try to offer products with the best value for money and research the main innovations and optimizations in R&D laboratories.
