Why should I be switching to recyclable tapes?

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Seemingly small changes can be drivers of huge impact. Recycling-friendly tapes are the current champions for making your packaging and processes more sustainable. Once available, it could help reduce your carbon footprint by replacing your traditional adhesives with recyclable tapes.

We are here to help you on your sustainability journey. Through our practices, you can feel confident that we're sourcing materials responsibly, (opens in a new window or tab) producing solvent-free adhesives, and improving product circularity (opens in a new window or tab). We’re taking care of packaging (opens in a new window or tab), meaning you can focus on what you do best.

What are recyclable tapes?

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While there is no overall definition, generally speaking, recyclable tapes are defined as those made with materials that are compatible with established recycling streams. They may consist of mono-materials or adhesives that can be taken apart easily. This makes it possible to separate them into streams such as PET, paper, or cardboard.

The crucial difference between more sustainable (opens in a new window or tab) and recyclable tapes is whether they can be recycled after use. Our more sustainable tapes are made with bio-based and recycled materials, but can't always be recycled. Whereas recyclable tapes can be recycled in their entirety.

Currently we don’t yet have any fully recyclable tapes in our portfolio, but developing them is in our future vision. That being said, we do have a focus on producing recycling-friendly tapes.

Why will recyclable tapes be important for industrial design?

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Tape and adhesives are often overlooked in recyclability and sustainability assessments. Yet they can make or break compliance. Design-for-recycling is becoming standard in many industries. Packaging and appliances emphasise this in particular, where waste materials can be high.

Recyclable tapes will be a must-have in the future. In the meantime, we're here to help you redefine how you secure appliances for transportation and storage. That could be replacing traditional plastic straps for recycling-friendly and bio-based alternatives (opens in a new window or tab).

The core goals of recycling-friendly and recyclable tapes are to:

Support product circularity
Reduce impact on the environment
Simplify material recovery

Regulatory frameworks such as PPWR (opens in a new window or tab) and customer procurement standards will always evolve. And fast. You are our priority, so we stay informed about current and upcoming regulations to ensure you are always compliant.

What are the benefits of recyclable tapes?

warehouse worker stacking cardboard boxes indoors, packing tape rolls and dispenser on table in foreground (This text has been generated by AI)

Switching to recycling-friendly now and recyclable tapes in the future, will not compromise the quality of your existing operations.

Here are some of the main benefits of making the transition to recyclable tapes:

Improve and meet your product sustainability targets.
Our more sustainable tapes have proven processability on market-standard tape applicators, delivering a smooth unwinding experience.
Strong paper backings and high adhesion deliver high-quality performance with less impact on the environment.
No compromise to the aesthetics of your final packaging! Our recyclable-friendly tapes are available in a number of finishes, including print-ready surfaces.

tesa’s approach to design-for-recycling

A man in a white lab coat and safety glasses operates a packaging tester near a roll of tesa tape and other lab equipment. (This text has been generated by AI)

We are proactively developing more sustainable tapes and adhesives. One of our goals is to support material separation, mono-material packaging, and clean recycling. This is part of our broader effort to push circularity, reduce waste, and support design-for-recycling.

Our collaborations with industry partners and customers help develop our understanding of the challenges and opportunities you face. We believe this is the most effective way to develop cutting-edge solutions that deliver results AND minimise impact on the environment.

tesa’s recycling-friendly tapes portfolio

Downloads

Flyer tesa® 4713 Success story PDF 2.4 MB

tesa® 51345 paper-based reinforcement tape PDF 376 kB

tesa® Specialty Tapes for Corrugated Board Production PDF 1 MB

Rethinking transport securing with paper-based strapping tape PDF 260.6 kB

PTS certificate_tesa® 64295_PTS-RH 021:2012 PDF 223.5 kB

Two scientists in white lab coats using a tablet in a bright laboratory with microscopes and glassware on the table tesa (This text has been generated by AI)

Helping you find more sustainable tapes for your needs

It’s our mission to help bring about more sustainable tapes and packaging solutions to our customers, roll by roll. Our team will be delighted to help you find the most suitable tapes, adhesives, and packaging solutions for your business. Fill out the form below and one of our experts will be in touch shortly.