COMPARISON BETWEEN THE USE OF WATER BASED AND SOLVENT BASED ADHESIVES IN LEATHER
GOODS
In the leather goods sector, the materials and adhesives used are listed below:
1. MateriaIs:
leather
synthetic/artificial leather (coated fabrics )
leather linings
textile linings (cotton, silk)
synthetic linings (moirè, nylon, jersey, coated fabrics)
microfiber reinforcements
nonwoven reinforcements
canvas reinforcements (jersey)
bonded leather (recycled)
In reality, genuine or synthetic leather is coupled with a type of lining in the middle of which there is
reinforcement depending on the process and the product.
2. Adhesives:
The latex adhesives are used for the preparation phase (coupling of leather with lining and
reinforcements); they are mainly applied using roller machines or by hand, using a sponge. These
adhesives are proved to be unsuitable for very thin leather and textiles, leather skived on the edges
and result in lump formation. It is also important to consider the fact that cleaning of rollers must
be performed more times daily as the rollers create dirt on the materials.
The double sided tapes are used in the assembly phase (folding, zippers); they are cut and placed
manually. Their use provides clean and precise work but at the same time slow and expensive. It is
also important to consider the stiching problems and the migration of the adhesive into the leather
or the textile, a problem that is observed when the product is already finished.
The solvent based polychloroprene adhesives are used in the assembly phase (folding, zippers,
shoulder straps, linings); they are applied mainly with the use of a brush. Their use is dangerous to
the operators’ health and cause many problems in the production, for the reasons stated in detail
in the following table.
The water based adhesives are used in all phases, not only in the preparation but also in the
assembly phase; they are mainly applied by spraying, replacing all the types mentioned above. They
are used in the leather goods sector, providing a fast, economical and clean process and at the
same time protecting the health of the operators and the environment.
In the following table only some of the reasons why water based adhesives should be preferred are
mentioned

Water based adhesives	Solvent based adhesives
Significant time saving because the adhesive is supplied with a spraying system, which is fast and clean; in addition to this it is always ready for use and does not require any kind of daily maintenance.	Waste of time because the operator has to handle a pot which needs to be frequently filled and a brush that has to be regularly cleaned using a solvent.
Our adhesives do not dry nor do they evaporate, thus avoiding product waste.	The solvent adhesives tend to dry out because they evaporate and therefore there is always considerable product waste.
High quality bonding is achieved, because water based adhesives soften the leather, avoiding the use of a softener, when required.	The leather becomes harder.
High quality bonding is achieved, because the adhesive sprayed evenly covers the surface of the material, thus avoiding the formation of a thick layer	There is no uniform distribution over the entire surface of the material, because at some points there is more adhesive quantity and at some other points there is less.
No more lump formation, a very important factor for extremely thin leathers and delicate working processes; do not cause problems to the sewing process.	Lumps can be created, thus ruining the aesthetic appearance of the final product without being able to interfere and repair; moreover, they cause problems to the sewing process.
They provide safety, because there is no risk of fire.	High flammability risk.
They are not dangerous to the operators’ health as they are non-toxic and odourless keeping the environment clean.	They cause serious respiratory problems, they have a very strong solvent odour and they create a very unpleasant environment.
Reduction of VOC emissions.	High level of VOC emissions.
Reduction of ground and water pollution.	They damage the environment.
Higher yellowing resistance.	Lower yellowing resistance, the adhesive turns brown in a short time period.
They are sprayed in small quantities.	Application with a brush and inevitably in large quantities.
The spraying application allows extremely precise bondings, even of a few mm, as well as bondings on the total area.	The use of the brush is unsuitable for such thin bondings and causes lack of precision.
Suitable for thin materials, since the adhesives do not penetrate them.	Unsuitable for thin materials, since the adhesives penetrate them.
If the leather gets dirty using the adhesive, it can be easily cleaned without leaving stains and spots.	If the leather gets dirty using the adhesive, it could be cleaned with more difficulty and in addition to this, stains and spots always remain on it and/or in some cases the colour may come off.
Thanks to our Bag in Box product packaging, which significantly reduces both volume and weight , the cost of disposal is minimized.	The expense for the disposal of metal containers is very high.