Since the launch of the Make in India initiative, India is emerging as a growing manufacturing hub in the Asia Pacific region. The initiative has attracted foreign companies to move their production lines to the region and turn India into a global manufacturing powerhouse. According to the HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), in January 2025, India’s PMI climbed to a six-month high of 57.7, up from 56.4. This growth is primarily attributed to strong domestic demand and increased international sales, especially in export orders, setting a positive outlook for the sector in 2025.
A case study by India Brand Equity Foundation cites that the Indian government is also driving the manufacturing sector towards automation and process-driven manufacturing for improved efficiency and productivity. Findings from a report by PwC also reveal that 3% of Indian manufacturers target sustainability with 2-3x profitable growth through Industry 5.0. Local manufacturers today have a tall task to balance efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. Adhesives are proving to be a potential solution, alongside others including the adoption of renewables and digital technology.
The role of adhesives in meeting manufacturing demands
Rapid industrialization and technological advancements in the packaging sectors have been identified as some of the larger key growth drivers, as cited in a 2023 study by Mordor Intelligence. The surge in packaging consumption, fuelled by the e-commerce boom and demand for convenient packaging is pushing manufacturers to accelerate production and improve productivity.
Manufacturers facing these challenges are increasingly turning to sustainable smart adhesives as a solution. These solutions leverage smart technologies to minimise waste, enhance recyclability and reusability. As a result, adhesives are expected to experience an accelerating growth in the local market, with the India adhesive market size projected to reach 3.76 billion USD by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 6.98% during the forecast period (2024-2028).
Traditional labels, a major contributor to waste due to their backing liners, are now replaced by more sustainable and efficient linerless alternatives. These linerless labels, which eliminate the backing paper, allow for 30-40% more labels per roll, reducing downtime and waste while boosting productivity.
With a mandate to meet sustainability targets, sustainable adhesive solutions such as the RecyClass-certified Bostik SF10M has become a leading solution among flexible packaging manufacturers and converters. This solution boasts great compatibility with EU PE film recycling streams and thus enhances end-product recyclability for flexible packaging. Furthermore, it yields recyclate that is suitable for high-quality applications, such as PE-blown films containing up to 25% recycled material, enabling organisations to factor in the packaging’s ‘second life’.
Importance of compliance with local standards and regulations
Additionally, with more environmental awareness, this increased output must be balanced with sustainable practices and adherence to evolving manufacturing standards and regulations.
As part of India’s Plastic Waste Management, since 2022, single-use plastics have been banned. Over the years, the government has been looking into new guidelines to strengthen the rules. From December 2022, the amended rules banned the production, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of plastic carry bags less than 120 microns.
In January 2025, it was announced that all producers, importers, and brand owners need to include details such as the thickness of the bag and the manufacturer’s name on the packaging. To keep up with these guidelines, Bostik has specifically developed Bostik HM2070 for kraft paper-based bags and thicker PE-based bags with films up to 120 microns for the India market. The solution ensures tamper-evident sealing and utilises 20% less adhesive material than traditional HMPSAs, enabling manufacturers to produce kraft bags that are both sustainable and functionable, which then provides sellers with environmentally friendly solutions for their packaging needs.
For manufacturers and brand owners, complying with sustainability standards and regulations guidelines is a responsibility that goes beyond simply gaining global market access, competitive advantage and ensuring safety, to an imperative for sustainable growth.
Furthermore, as a global manufacturing hub, there is greater need for India to have a more robust waste management system and more sustainable manufacturing practices to support its industrial activity. Strengthening this system requires contributions from every part of the value chain, and adhesive technology can play a significant role with its easy incorporation into sustainable manufacturing practices and enabling the transition to a circular economy.
The future of adhesives for flexible packaging and tapes and labels in India
To meet the expected growth in manufacturing activities in India, industry leaders must not work in silos. It is key for manufacturers, converters, brand owners, and other players in the ecosystem to collaborate and innovate alongside each other to meet the increasing demands for efficiency, productivity, and sustainability in the industry.
To this end, Bostik has recently expanded its portfolio of smart adhesives with the recent acquisition of Dow’s flexible packaging lamination adhesive business, offering a wider range of high-quality adhesives solutions for food, medical and industrial applications. At Bostik, our top priorities include safety, sustainability and performance. Our technical expertise in adhesives helps ensure products comply with food safety regulations, reduce environmental impact, and improve end-use product performance. We appreciate that Dow has emphasised these aspects in their products too, and look forward to bolstering manufacturing efficiency with like-minded partners.
– The author is business director AP&C at Bostik India
