Annual Press Conference: Responsibility - Milestones in 2006

In fiscal year 2006, tesa SE continued to improve its energy balance sheet, after the company had already exceeded, a year early, all the environmental goals it had set itself for 2007. In total, the company’s use of solvents in proportion to the area produced has been reduced by 41 % since the introduction of the environmental program, in 2002. Energy consumption, viewed with reference to constant production quantities, fell by 26 % during the same period. This success proves that tesa is implementing its environmental program effectively, and in light of rising energy and raw material costs, tesa’s actions also show financial foresight.With the aim of further reducing energy costs in the future, tesa has now established a new environmental program that is mandatory for all of its production locations worldwide. For the first time, the new program also places a clear emphasis on lowering emissions of volatile organic compounds, calling for VOC emissions to be cut in half by 2012. In addition, the new plan provides for the company’s worldwide energy use to decrease by an additional 10 percent and solvent use by 15 percent, in both cases with reference to constant production quantities. As one of the steps towards meeting these goals, the tesa plant in Malaysia has begun operating a new, particularly efficient solvent recycling system. The tesa plant in Concagno, Italy recently joined the largest tesa production location, in Offenburg, Germany, in switching more products to the solvent-free coating technology developed by tesa. Moreover, tesa is working on development and implementation of additional solvent-free production methods.

The company’s environmental activities make up part of a comprehensive strategy of responsible corporate citizenship. During 2006, tesa also joined the Global Compact. By participating in this initiative, which is run under the auspices of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, internationally operating companies voluntarily commit to act according to ten ethical principles that encompass human rights, working standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption measures. tesa is currently compiling information and documentation on its existing activities in these areas and developing further measures to implement.

In fiscal year 2006, the new tesa plant in Suzhou, near Shanghai, China, was selected by the district government as one of the 19 best employers among the approximately 2000 companies present at the Suzhou Industrial Park. The key factors in the decision included tesa’s particularly good social benefits, such as additional health insurance that includes employees’ families, as well as programs for developing an individual corporate culture with the aim of strengthening the relationship between the company and the employees.