Aqueous binders for granular and/or fibrous substrates

An aqueous binder composition, comprising

• a) a polymer P constructed from
• ≧0.1 and ≦15 wt % of monomer A, which is an acid-functional ethylenically unsaturated monomer, an α, β-monoethylenically unsaturated C3 to C6 mono- or dicarboxamide, or both
• ≧8.0 and ≦30 wt % of monomer B, which is an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid nitrile or dinitrile
• ≧0 and ≦5.0 wt % of monomer C, which is a crosslinking monomer having two or more nonconjugated ethylenically unsaturated groups
• ≧0 and ≦10 wt % of monomer D, which is a monoethylenically unsaturated silane compound
• ≧20 and ≦70 wt % of monomer E, which is an ethylenically unsaturated monomer whose homopolymer has a glass transition temperature of ≦30° C. and which differs from the monomers A to D, and
• ≧25 and ≦71.9 wt % of monomer F, which is an ethylenically unsaturated monomer whose homopolymer has a glass transition temperature of ≧50° C. and which differs from the monomers A to D,
• in polymerized form, wherein the amounts of monomers A to F sum to 100 wt %, and
• b) a saccharide compound S, in an amount of ≧10 and ≦400 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polymer P,
• wherein:
• an overall amount of additional binder components comprising formaldehyde is <50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of summed overall amounts of polymer P and saccharide compound S;
• and
• the saccharide compound S has a weight average molecular weight of ≧50 000 and ≦ 1 000 000 g/mol.