As India’s USD 3.5 trillion economy surges toward innovation-driven growth, the 2025 Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) Innovation Award shines a spotlight on transformative adhesive trends shaping industries from packaging to electric vehicles (EVs).
Honoring breakthroughs in sustainability, performance, and smart functionality, the award underscores the global adhesive market’s ascent, valued at USD 65.7 billion in 2024 and projected to reach USD 92.1 billion by 2032 at a 4.3% CAGR, per a 2025 Allied Market Research report.
In India’s ₹50,000 crore adhesive sector, these trends signal a shift toward eco-friendly and high-tech solutions, but MSMEs face regulatory and skill barriers in scaling a USD 7 billion domestic market by 2030.
The ASC Innovation Award, announced at the 2025 ASC Annual Convention, celebrates adhesives that push boundaries. This year’s winners, including bio-based hot-melt adhesives and conductive formulations for electronics, reflect three dominant trends.
First, sustainability drives innovation, with bio-based adhesives derived from soy and starch reducing carbon footprints by 35%, per a 2024 Journal of Applied Polymer Science study. Henkel’s TECHNOMELT Supra ECO, a winner, cuts VOC emissions by 40%, supporting India’s Plastic Waste Management Rules, per a 2025 Packaging World report.
Second, high-performance adhesives for EVs, like Sika’s thermally conductive sealants, enhance battery safety and efficiency, boosting range by 10%, per a 2024 Automotive Engineering Journal. Third, smart adhesives with embedded sensors enable real-time monitoring in packaging, improving supply chain traceability by 20%, per a 2025 Advanced Materials report.
India’s adhesive industry, led by Pidilite, Astral Adhesives, and Asian Paints, aligns with these trends, producing low-VOC and recyclable adhesives for e-commerce and construction, per a 2025 Business Standard report.
Global players like 3M, BASF, and Dow, also ASC honorees, set benchmarks with flexible, durable formulations, per a 2025 Adhesives Magazine report. MSMEs, supplying 40% of adhesives, leverage the ₹50,000 crore PLI scheme and ONDC, increasing market access by 25%, per a 2024 SIDBI report.
The sector supports 600,000 jobs and reduces import reliance on petroleum-based chemicals by 20%, saving USD 2 billion annually, per a 2024 UNCTAD report. Yet, India imports 30% of high-performance adhesives from China and Germany due to R&D gaps, per a 2025 Economic Times report.
These trends drive economic and environmental gains. Sustainable adhesives lower Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance costs by 15% and boost exports to eco-conscious markets, per a 2025 Hindustan Times report.
Smart adhesives enhance India’s e-commerce edge, growing at a 25% CAGR, while EV adhesives support 30% electrification goals by 2030, per a 2024 NITI Aayog report. Aligning with Make in India and Swachh Bharat, the industry advances SDG goals, per a 2025 MoEFCC report.
Challenges persist. Regulatory approvals take 4–6 years versus China’s 2, stalling innovation, per a 2024 Nasscom report. MSMEs face ₹1–2 lakh monthly compliance costs, and power disruptions affect 20% of units.
Only 5% of Skill India’s 2 million workers are trained in advanced adhesive tech, and ONDC adoption lags at 15%, per a 2024 Nasscom report. Experts propose Technology Upgradation Scheme subsidies, Skill India training, PM Gati Shakti’s 5G enhancements, and IIT collaborations, per a 2025 LatestLY report. CII campaigns could drive awareness and ONDC uptake.
The ASC Innovation Award reveals adhesives as a linchpin for India’s industrial future. Scaling sustainable and smart solutions will cut imports, fuel GDP, and pave the way for a Viksit Bharat by 2030.