Developing more sustainable packaging tapes makes sense

What did you consider when developing the carton sealing and packaging tapes from our portfolio that contribute to sustainability?

"The starting point for tesa was a desire to replace fossil-fuel based carbon in the manufacturing process. We call this stage of the product circle the ‘beginning of life’. This can be done by incorporating content made from bio-based resources or recycled materials. Another critical consideration for more sustainable packaging/carton sealing tapes was that the new products had to match the performance of our established adhesives."

How did you test the new solutions?

"We have a defined set of basic characteristics which we test for any product to ensure their performance. These are peel adhesion, tensile strength, unwinding force, and shear force.

For our packaging tapes, we specifically conduct dynamic drop tests using carton boxes made from single and double corrugated cardboard. Our dynamic drop tests are performed to evaluate the protective performance of individual packed goods after drop tests from different heights.

Most of our more sustainable packaging tapes have been designed so customers do not have to separate the tape from the cardboard at the ‘end of life’. They can be disposed of in the wastepaper along with cardboard without compromising the recycling process. This has been proven according to INGEDE Method 12 - a test method of the International Association of the Deinking Industry for the recyclability of printed products."

What are the next steps?

"We are extending our range of products that can contribute to sustainability. We are increasing the amount of recycled materials and materials made from bio-based content in product areas such as masking and repairing tapes.

Besides our ‘beginning of life’ options, and with new harmonized European recycling test methods, we are focusing also on improving recycling concepts."