H.B. Fuller Recognizes Innovations in Barrier Coatings and Infrastructure Protection
H.B. Fuller has named Huhtamaki and Bin Dasmal General Trading Co. recipients of its 2026 Customer Innovation Awards, recognizing collaborative developments in sustainable packaging and infrastructure protection.
The annual awards recognize customers that have developed technologies or processes delivering measurable improvements in sustainability, safety, performance or operational efficiency. Winners are selected based on innovation, market impact, technical achievement and collaboration with H.B. Fuller's technical teams.
The two recipients were recognized for projects involving protective barrier technologies designed to reduce material use, improve installation efficiency and maintain performance in demanding environments.
Huhtamaki received an award for ProDairy, a recyclable paper-based dairy cup designed to reduce polyethylene use while maintaining moisture protection for refrigerated products.
Working with H.B. Fuller, Huhtamaki incorporated a high-performance varnish that eliminates the need for an external polyethylene coating layer.
The resulting structure replaces a conventional double-polyethylene-coated paper cup with a single-polyethylene-coated design.
According to H.B. Fuller, the varnish provides protection against moisture and abrasion while helping maintain the performance required for refrigerated dairy packaging.
The company said the technology is commercially scalable and is intended to help dairy producers reduce plastic consumption and improve packaging recyclability.
Bin Dasmal General Trading Co. was recognized for developing a prefabricated HVAC insulation system designed to improve protection against condensation and corrosion in hot, humid environments.
The company worked with H.B. Fuller to integrate Foster NeoClad protective vapor-barrier jacketing into an offsite prefabrication process.
The approach reduces the number of installation steps required at construction sites while improving consistency and limiting material handling.
According to H.B. Fuller, the system can reduce installation time by more than 50% in certain applications.
The protective jacketing is intended to improve long-term insulation reliability by limiting moisture intrusion and helping protect HVAC components from condensation-related damage.
H.B. Fuller said the system was first deployed during the refurbishment of Dubai Hills Mall, demonstrating its potential to reduce installation complexity, maintenance requirements and disruption to building operations.
"The most meaningful breakthroughs happen when great ideas meet deep technical expertise and trusted collaboration," said Celeste Mastin, president and CEO of H.B. Fuller.
Mastin said the winning projects demonstrate how collaboration between manufacturers, suppliers and technical teams can address challenges involving material efficiency and infrastructure performance.
The recipients were announced Sept. 17 and were scheduled to be recognized during a celebration Sept. 29.
H.B. Fuller established the Customer Innovation Awards in 2024 to recognize customer developments that combine technical performance with commercial applications.
The company's portfolio includes adhesives, sealants, functional coatings and protective barrier technologies serving packaging, construction, transportation and industrial markets.
Both projects demonstrate how functional coatings and protective barrier technologies can reduce material consumption or improve performance. Huhtamaki's varnish-based packaging system is particularly relevant to formulators developing alternatives to conventional plastic barrier layers, while Bin Dasmal's application illustrates the role of protective materials in infrastructure durability.
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