Editorial Sustainability Report 2024

Since we have been driving this important transformation of our business with even greater urgency, we have made considerable progress: We have been able to significantly reduce our emissions, increase the transparency of our supply chain to enable responsible sourcing. And we have launched further products with a substantial sustainability contribution on the market, thereby not only reducing our own ecological footprint but also supporting our customers in their sustainability goals.

But we must not stop at what we have achieved so far. We are facing a decisive step on our sustainability path: the challenge of decoupling growth and emissions - a task that we are tackling with determination.

We continue to be guided by internationally recognized frameworks such as the UN Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals. They not only help us to place our activities in a global context, but also to open new fields of innovation and markets.

To remain competitive while fulfilling our responsibilities, we need to work with the materials of tomorrow, transform our processes, create meaningful end-of-life solutions for our products and establish strong partnerships that will walk this path with us. As ambitious as our goals are, we see significant opportunities in this important transformation of our business, and I am proud to say that we were also able to make considerable progress in all of these areas in 2024.

However, it is not just in our production that we want to drastically reduce emissions, but across the entire value chain.

Close partnerships are essential here, which is why we work closely with our suppliers: We motivate them to fulfil our sustainability standards and support them in integrating renewable energy into their processes. By the end of 2024, more than 70 per cent of our direct purchasing volume went to suppliers who share our sustainability standards. To drive forward the decarbonization of our supply chain, we launched the Supplier Green Energy Program in the reporting year: It aims to work with our suppliers to develop strategies to reduce energy-related Scope 3 emissions and promote their implementation. We have already achieved initial promising successes together, so we will continue to expand the program.

And it is our central concern to also support our customers in achieving their sustainability goals. We use our innovative strength to develop products that not only reduce our ecological footprint, but also that of our customers. One outstanding example is our products produced according to the biomass balance approach, such as tesa® 4965 Original Next Gen or our transfer tapes. They enable CO₂ savings of around 40 percent through innovative manufacturing processes and the use of more sustainable materials.

At the same time, we are working on pioneering technologies such as “debonding on demand”. This technology not only enables extremely strong adhesive bonds but also, if necessary, “debonding” - a promising solution for reworking, repair or recycling purposes. In this way, we are making an important contribution to the circular economy, as resources are conserved, and recycling is made possible at the end of the life cycle.

We have invested heavily in recent years and will continue to do so: By 2030, we want to invest a total of around 300 million euros to achieve our goals through smart, science-based measures. Sustainability remains our top priority - it is essential for our competitiveness and future viability.

I am proud of our achievements in the past year. Sustainability is deeply embedded in our corporate and innovation culture, and I am confident that we will achieve our ambitious goals.

My sincere thanks go to all our employees for their tireless efforts. Together, we are shaping a more sustainable future for tesa, our customers and society.