This is the abstract of an oral presentation in EBC-VIII, given on June 14, 2022 Faster degradation rates of adhesives under environmental conditions could significantly accelerate bioremediation processes of glued items. Ester-based polyurethanes (PUR) are more submissive to hydrolysis and enzymatic degradation than traditionally used polyether PUR. However, adhesives from ester-based PUR are not widely used, partly due to kinetic uncertainties during their polymerization. In this investigation, caprolactone and adipate macrodiols were reacted with difunctional and trifunctional isocyanates, monitoring their polymerization rates by titration, FTIR and viscometry. Temperatures and molar ratios were also varied, leading to unexpected changes in the course of the polymerization. Inclusion of caprolactam, acetate and several other additives affected the curing rates significantly. Better understanding of polymerization kinetics could accelerate the replacement of polyether PUR adhesives with the ester-based ones, which would improve bioremediation efforts of glued waste items.