Declaration of Support

“Responsibility is traditional at tesa: We see it as an important investment in the future.”

“2011 was a very special year for us, as it saw the tesa brand celebrate its 75th anniversary. Once, the name was merely synonymous with a small roll of adhesive tape. Today, tesa is one of the world’s leading companies in the self-adhesive technology segment. Our success story is not just associated with innovations, quality and technological progress. Traditionally, the acceptance of responsibility is one of the defining factors in this development. We underscore our sustainable business policy through our membership of the United Nations’ Global Compact.

To mark the brand’s 75th anniversary, we have in Germany entered into a new partnership that combines environmental protection with employee volunteering. With a total of 75,000 young oak trees, we are supporting a land restoration project in the Lower Saxony Elbe valley plain – part of the UNESCO Elbe River Landscape biosphere reserve. The first area was planted in the fall of 2011. The tesa teams will continue to reforest the oak wood in 2012.


In 2011, our many environmental projects demonstrated that it is the sum of the individual components that set great things in motion. What impresses me personally is that many initiatives are the direct result of ideas and suggested improvements from our employees. Thus, with the aid of small and large measures, we have managed to save energy and cut waste. At product level, too, we are continually forging ahead with our efforts to protect the environment. In technological terms we achieved a quantum leap with the commissioning of the globally unique ACX plant for the production of double-sided acrylate adhesive tapes for high-strength permanent adhesive bonds.

The patented process that was developed in-house by tesa stands out because of a significant reduction in the use of solvents and energy and no use of process water whatsoever. In 2012, we will be launching the entire product line for industrial customers onto the market.

With our tesa ecoLogo® products, we now offer consumers a complete range of especially eco-friendly products in the office segment. With new ecoLogo® solutions for masking, fixing and repairing, we will also be setting an ecological example in the construction and DIY markets in 2012.

The public “Kleben Sie ein Zeichen”-(“Stick a Sign!”) competition also acted as a signal in 2011. tesa supported regional sustainability projects throughout Germany with a total of 50,000 euros. The aim was to back inexpensive creative ideas with a major impact. 80 projects were set up on the campaign page online. Around 37,000 people participated in the voting and selected the 12 best projects.

In 2011, we pressed ahead with our global social activities. The focus here was on long-term partnerships and volunteering work to help children and young people. Furthermore, our commitment to expanding our training offers remains undiminished. The extensive communication of our globally applicable values and guidelines is part of this personnel training and qualification. In order to be able to combine the associated processes practically, we set up a central coordination unit for compliance. In addition, various specialists are available to provide specialist advice on topics including anti-corruption, data protection, antitrust law, environmental protection and industrial safety. Consumers around the world trust in our brand and our company. This is the true basis of our success. We intend to consistently deliver on our value proposition in future too and to continue to pursue our sustainable business policy within the meaning of the UN Global Compact.


Thomas Schlegel,
CEO of tesa SE