Water-Based Adhesives — Intercom Ecostick®

The Intercom system

Adhesive and machine,
from one company.

Most factories buy adhesives from one supplier and machines from another. When something goes wrong — a spray pattern inconsistency, an adhesion failure, a clog — you don't know whose problem it is. Both suppliers point at the other.

Intercom made a different decision in 1991. They would make both the adhesive and the machine, test them together in their Florence R&D lab, and guarantee the system — not just the product.

The result is the Ecostick® + Intercom® system: a water-based adhesive brand and a spray-machine range calibrated together for every application, every material, every production scale.

"The first company in Italy to promote water-based adhesive spray application in leather goods and footwear manufacturing." — Intercom Srl corporate profile

01Why water-based · why now

Three reasons the
industry switched.

HealthFor the operator at the bench

Solvent-based adhesives release VOCs with every application. Fume hoods, respirators, masks — and chronic operator exposure regardless. Ecostick® is solvent-free, non-allergenic, non-flammable. Some formulations: 0% VOC.

EnvironmentFor the factory and beyond

VOC-free means no atmospheric emissions. Packaging with reduced plastic content. 50% renewable energy in Intercom's own production. Products available with 75% content from renewable resources.

BusinessFor the buyer in Germany, France, UK, USA

Water-based is already the standard in Italian and European high-end production. Brands and buyers in Europe and the US increasingly require MRSL compliance and VOC documentation. Ecostick® comes with both — today.

02Ecostick® adhesives

Twenty-three adhesives.
Every material. One system.

23 formulations, each precisely engineered for a specific material pairing, application process and production context. All solvent-free. All REACH compliant. All tested on Intercom machines.

REACH compliant

All components conform to EU REACH directive.

Solvent-free

No solvents, no fumes, no occupational health liability.

Non-flammable

Eliminates the fire risk of solvent systems.

Non-allergenic

Safe for prolonged operator contact.

VOC-free or lowest

No atmospheric emissions; some SKUs at 0% VOC.

No yellowing

Stabilised against ageing — bond stays clean long-term.

Hydrolysis resistance

Survives humid tropical transit and storage.

High solid content

Less adhesive per bond. Faster drying.

Long shelf life

Buy in volume — use at your pace.

Group A · Leather coupling, folding & lining

Bags, wallets, belt construction, shoe lining. Coupling two leather faces, folding edges over.

Ecostick® 1804	Coupling and folding leather. The reliable workhorse for face-to-face leather bonding and edge folding.
Ecostick® 1816B	Leather and fabrics — high compatibility with both natural and synthetic leather surfaces.
Ecostick® 1816C	Leather, fabrics, linings, cardboard — the multi-material adhesive.
Ecostick® 1816TX	Coupling and folding leather. TX variant — tuned for specific leather types.
Ecostick® 1830	Coupling and folding leather. Current-generation replacement for classic leather-folding applications.
Ecostick® 7038	Coupling and folding leather and fabrics — same operation across both substrates.

Group B · Footwear — sole, upper, heel

Sole-to-upper bonding, heel attachment, insole bonding, orthopaedic sole applications.

Ecostick® 1809	Footwear sector — leather and fabrics. General-purpose for the structural demands of shoe construction.
Ecostick® 1820 1K	Sole-to-upper bonding. The primary adhesive for the critical sole attachment step.
Ecostick® 1820S 1K	Sole bonding. S variant — optimised for specific sole materials and geometries.
Ecostick® 9009	Heels, orthopaedic soles, insoles. Engineered for the high-shear load of heel attachment.
Ecostick® 9009ST	Belts and bags (also heels). Strutturato — higher body for gap-fill applications.

Group C · Belts, bags, wallets — multi-use

The backbone of the leather-goods range. The widest variety of bonding operations.

Ecostick® 5019N	Belts, bags, wallets, uppers. High-productivity multi-use — one formulation, four operations.
Ecostick® 5020	Belts, uppers, bags, wallets. Updated variant alongside 5019N.
Ecostick® 9004	Bags, wallets, orthopaedic soles. Strong initial grip — for small-leather-goods precision.
Ecostick® 9005	Belts, uppers, bags, wallets. 9000-series premium leather-goods formulation.
Ecostick® 9010	Leather and fabrics — general bonding where both substrates appear in the same product.
Ecostick® 9020	Bags, belts, wallets. High-performance — strong, clean, no yellowing.
Ecostick® 9030	General-purpose ecological adhesive — the everyday volume adhesive for mixed factories.

Group D · Synthetic leather, fabrics, linings

Synthetic uppers, nonwoven linings, fabric facings, PU and PVC substrates.

Ecostick® 9006	Fabrics, linings, synthetic leather. Engineered for non-leather surface chemistry.
Ecostick® 9015	Synthetic leathers, fabrics, linings. Primary adhesive for synthetic-material production.
Ecostick® 9015ST	Strutturato variant — higher body for structured fabric applications.
Ecostick® 9015ST HV	High Viscosity — stays on surface even with very thin or porous leathers. No penetration.

Group E · Natural rubber latex

Ecostick® 7006

Aqueous natural rubber latex adhesive — for the flexibility and bond character of natural rubber, without the solvent.

03Adhesive selector

How to choose
the right SKU.

Coupling and folding leather (general)	1804, 1816B, 1830
Leather + fabric combined	1816C, 7038
Synthetic leather, PU, PVC	9006, 9015, 9015ST
Very thin or very porous leather	9015ST HV
Sole-to-upper bonding	1820 1K, 1820S 1K
Heel attachment	9009
Bags & wallets — high volume	5019N, 9004, 9020, 9030
Belts	5019N, 5020, 9009ST
Garments and fabrics	9006, 9015
Flexible / elastic substrates	7006 (natural rubber latex)
Not sure	Send your materials spec — we'll match the SKU.

04Manual spray benches

Spray benches built
for leather.

Aspiration benches engineered to apply Ecostick® in leather goods, bag, belt and footwear factories. Ten models. Height-adjustable, modular, on wheels. No maintenance.

I048The compact specialist

Spray device S14 + container CA — without a bench. Portable spray unit. Widest application range of any single device in the range.

I288The entry bench

Compact aspiration bench B2410 + S8 spray device. For factories starting with spray bonding or adding a secondary station.

I3L48RThe mobile S14

B3L bench + S14 spray device + wheels. The widest spray-device versatility on a moveable platform.

I3L88The B3L fixed

B3L bench + S8, fixed position. Height-adjustable. For installed workstations where mobility is not required.

I3L88RThe mobile B3L

I3L88 with wheels — for factories where the station moves between product lines or shifts.

I788The production workhorse

B7 bench + S8 — the most widely used configuration. Handles small runs and large production alike without reconfiguration.

I988 2025The flagship manual

Updated B9 bench + S8. The widest application range of any bench system in the manual range — bags, wallets, belts, uppers, footwear.

I998The B9 with S9

B9 bench + S9 spray device — different nozzle and flow pattern, suited to specific leather thicknesses and adhesive viscosities.

I1288The wide bench

B12 wide work surface + S8. For factories bonding larger pieces — full bag bodies, wide belt stock — in a single pass.

I1398The widest bench

B13 (widest in the manual range) + S9. For the highest-throughput manual bonding on large leather goods.

05Polifemo 4.0 · automatic systems

When the volume goes up,
the machine takes over.

Chain conveyor, built-in dryer, pallet handling, programmable spray head. Seven models. The same Ecostick® quality at production-line speed and precision.

A3.2 Chain conveyor 180×220 cm + dryer	Continuous-production bonding for leather and fabric. Integrated dryer.
A3.3 Chain conveyor 180×320 cm + dryer	Extended-length conveyor for wider/longer panels and faster drying at higher line speed.
A4.2 Chain conveyor 120×220 cm + dryer	Compact-width — for floor-space-limited factories. Belts, wallets, smaller panels.
DV1 Polifemo 4.0 · pallet drawer	First-generation Polifemo 4.0. Pallet-drawer loading. Integrable into existing lines.
DV4 Polifemo 4.0 · pallet movement	Mid-range. For mid-to-high volume leather goods and footwear.
DV5 Polifemo 4.0 · pallet movement	Higher-capacity. For sustained high-volume bonding in a running production line.
DV6 Polifemo 4.0 · top spec	Highest throughput in the range. Recommended for high-volume bags, wallets and belt production.

"Intercom is the only company able to guarantee the best performance — by combining automatic system mechanics with the quality of Ecostick® adhesives." — Intercom Srl

06Manual vs. automatic

When to upgrade
from one to the other.

Daily volume	Low–medium → medium–high (automatic)
Product variety	High · flexible → medium · programmed
Operator dependency	Higher → low
Adhesive consistency	Operator-dependent → machine-consistent every cycle
Floor space	Compact → requires line space
Ideal for	Sample rooms, small runs, multiple product types → volume production, single product category

07By industry

Ten product worlds.
One bonding system.

BagsThe widest variety

Ecostick doesn't stiffen leather; no yellowing at stitch lines; long open time. 1816B · 7038 · 9004 · 9009 · 9010 · 9015 · 9020 · 9030

WalletsHighest precision

Small bonding area, no bleed onto visible face, permanent under repeated flexing. 9004 · 9020 · 1816B · 9010 · 9030

BeltsBond that survives years of flexion

Long, narrow geometry where spray excels over brush. 5019N · 5020 · 9009ST · 9020 · 9030

Shoe upperMost demanding application

Multiple materials, complex curves, must survive lasting and heel-attach. 1809 · 1816C · 9006 · 9015 · 9015ST

SolesHighest-load bond

Resists shear from walking and peel from flexion. 1820 1K · 1820S 1K · 9009

GarmentsSurvives wash cycles

Flexible after bond; doesn't block fabric hand. 9006 · 9015 · 9015ST · 1816C

Display & furnitureLeather to wood / MDF / metal

Large surfaces, high aesthetic demands. 9004 · 9010 · 9030

Packaging & casesClean edges, no bleed

High presentation quality on rigid substrates. 1816C · 9004 · 9030

AlbumsWide flat surfaces

No wrinkling, clean edges over board. 1816C · 9030

AutomotiveTemperature, UV, vibration

Dashboards, door panels, steering-wheel wrap. 9004 · 9020

08Sustainability

A water-based
commitment, in full.

"Introduce water-based bonding technologies to the market to replace solvent-based adhesives, with resulting benefits for health, environment and worker safety." — Intercom Srl mission

Exclusively water-based.

Zero solvent-based adhesives in the Ecostick® range — not as an option, as the entire commitment.

Lowest VOC levels in category.

Including products at 0% VOC. Documentation supplied with every shipment.

REACH compliant — and ahead of it.

R&D actively anticipates future regulatory tightening, not just current requirements.

MRSL letters as standard practice.

Compliance Letters signed with major fashion brands — supplied to your buyers on request.

75% renewable-resource content.

Available across the Ecostick® range — speak to our team for the renewable-content data sheet.

50% renewable energy.

In Intercom's own Montespertoli manufacturing facilities.

Reduced plastic packaging.

Continuing reduction in plastic content across the product packaging programme.

Supply chain alignment.

Suppliers held to the same environmental standards Intercom holds itself to.

Italy's water-basedbonding system.Now in India.

1991

ISO 9001

50%

Adhesive and machine,from one company.

Three reasons theindustry switched.