Overview
ISO 21037:2026, Adhesives - Guideline for separating adhesively bonded joints enabling repair and improving recycling, provides practical methods for separating bonded joints to facilitate product repair and enhance recycling efficiency. The standard applies to a wide range of materials, including metallic and non-metallic inorganics, plastics (with or without fillers/fibres), wood and wood-based materials, coated materials, natural and polymeric fibres, as well as paper and cardboard. This document supports the transition to a circular economy by making repair and recycling of products more accessible, reducing waste, and preserving material value.
Key Topics
Methods for Separating Adhesively Bonded Joints
- Mechanical Methods: Cutting, peeling, stretching of the adhesive carrier, and elongation of adherends. Examples include automotive windshield replacements, resealable packaging closures, removable adhesive tapes, and dental technology.
- Physical Methods: Application of temperature (heating or cooling), electricity, and solvents. Techniques include using heat guns, refrigeration, electric stimulation, or solvent baths to enable debonding without damaging base materials.
- Chemical Methods: Use of expanding or blowing agents and controlled chemical decomposition of adhesive or adherends for easy separation.
Design Considerations
- Balancing product performance during service life with end-of-life disassembly.
- Enhancing reparability and recyclability without compromising joint integrity during use.
Circular Economy and R-Strategies
- Focuses on enabling repair, refurbishment, remanufacture, and recycling (4 of the 9 R-strategies in circular material management).
- Supports waste reduction and regeneration of resources, aligning with sustainability and environmental goals.
Applications
Automotive Repair:
- Facilitates safe and efficient removal of bonded parts such as windshields, panels, and composite components, enabling repairs and extending vehicle lifespan.
Electronics:
- Enables easier servicing and replacement of components in devices like smartphones and tablets by using reversible adhesives combined with heat, electricity, or solvents.
Packaging:
- Improves recycling processes for packaging materials by using adhesives that debond readily, supporting high-throughput cleaning and separation (e.g., labels on returnable bottles, mono-material pouches).
Construction and Manufacturing:
- Allows for repair and recovery of bonded components in building materials, wood products, and fibre composites, aiding refurbishment and upcycling.
Textile and Paper Industries:
- Supports disassembly and processing for recycling or re-use in fibre-based products.
Related Standards
- ISO 472: Plastics - Vocabulary: Provides essential terminology for understanding plastic materials and adhesives as referenced in ISO 21037:2026.
- ISO/TR 2389: Plastics - Recycling and recovery - Necessity of standards: Offers guidance on the importance of standardization in plastics recycling.
- Other Guidance: Related technical papers and standards on adhesive debonding, recycling technologies, and circular economy strategies provide additional context for best practices.
By adopting ISO 21037:2026, organizations can enhance product reparability, improve recycling outcomes, and align with global sustainability objectives. Whether for automotive, electronics, packaging, or industrial applications, this standard enables efficient adhesive debonding, supporting resource conservation and reduced environmental impact throughout the product lifecycle.