Adhesives and Sealants in Packaging: Functional Roles and System-Level Classification (Part I)

Adhesives and sealants are critical yet still underrepresented components in packaging science. Existing reviews mainly address specific chemistries, sealing technologies, or application niches, whereas integrated analyses of adhesive and sealant families within a unified packaging-system framework remain limited. This review addresses this gap by proposing a three-dimensional classification framework-functional role, material chemistry and activation mechanism, and performance constraints-that connects functional roles, processing routes, regulatory constraints, and circularity requirements. The framework is applied across natural, synthetic, hot-melt, pressure-sensitive, and tie-layer adhesives, as well as conventional thermoplastic, barrier-oriented, and biodegradable sealant systems. Special attention is given to hybrid systems operating at the boundary between bonding and sealing, and to the performance-recyclability trade-offs that arise in multilayer architectures. Structure-property-function relationships are analysed qualitatively with respect to bond and seal strength, seal initiation temperature, hot-tack behaviour, and end-of-life compatibility. Part I establishes the classification and functional groundwork for the two-part review; Part II will extend the analysis to quantitative performance data, advanced materials, and emerging technologies.