The adhesives market is currently dominated by existing major brands selling into established markets. However, a confluence of megatrends, from vehicle electrification to circular economy practices, is driving large shifts in those markets.

This creates new opportunities for innovation and growth but also potential threats to long-standing products and suppliers, according to new analysis from Lux Research, a leading provider of tech-enabled research and innovation advisory services. 

Lux’s new report, “Advanced Adhesives Opportunity Forecast,” examines the market opportunities and value propositions for a range of adhesives innovations to provide a guide on the most promising opportunities. Lux identifies and examines these four megatrends that are beginning to change how adhesives are developed, selected, and used across all industries:

• 3D printing: Additive manufacturing of end parts using new materials and material combinations, with changing design principles


• Circular economy: The demand for sustainability is changing product and packaging design to reduce resource consumption and plan for the end of life

• Materials informatics: Software-driven formulation development and materials selection


• Industrial internet of things (IIoT): Intelligent devices and increasingly connected facilities are changing construction, repair, and monitoring needs.

“The adhesives market is a mature space, dominated by existing major brands selling into established industries, and for many years, innovation in adhesives has largely been modest and incremental,” said Anthony Vicari, analyst at Lux Research and lead author of the report. “While a number of startups and research groups have been developing some novel solutions, adoption by major players remains slow. Now, however, these concurrent global megatrends are beginning to bring novel challenges that demand deeper innovation in adhesives to address.”