Product sustainability at tesa

Our vision  

We at tesa have made sustainability a priority and are working on this important transformation of our business. We intend to use our expertise and passion to develop adhesive solutions and products that are more sustainable. That’s why many of our sustainability targets are interconnected and dependent on one another and the following five strategic action areas outline how we plan to help achieve our goals in the near future; 

1.  Reduction of emissions.
2.  Responsible sourcing.
3.  Using recycled and bio-based materials.
4.  Circular economy and reduction of waste.
5.  Helping our customers achieve their sustainability targets. 

Read more: Our statement on sustainability.

Another step forward 

We continually strive to make our products and assortment more sustainable. To demonstrate our initiatives and efforts in the industrial segment, this marker highlights our more sustainable products by fulfilling either of the following criteria:  

1. Use of bio-based materials: In this case, the marker is reserved for products that contain at least 50% bio-based material in one component and 30% in the entire product. In addition, all fiber-based material must be from certified sources such as FSC® (C148769). 
2. Use of recycled material: To qualify for the new marker, at least one component of the product – the backing, the adhesive, or the liner – must be made of at least 50% recycled material, and the total share in the product must be at least 30%. 
3. Use of Mass Balanced Material: If content of a (bio) mass balance material is above 50% referring to a single product component (backing, adhesive and liner) and minimum 30% share in total product, then it qualifies for the marker. But all (bio) mass balanced materials should be certified by ISCC Plus or equivalent certification scheme.  
4. Recyclability: To be eligible for the marker, products must be certified as recycling-friendly or recyclable according to certifications like INGEDE Method 12 or PTS-RH 021:2012. 

This means every time the marker is noticed next to our more sustainable tesa® products for industrial customers and markets, it is another step forward in support of our corporate sustainability strategy.  

As a company, tesa is well-known for expertise in adhesives and adhesive tape design. We will now increasingly apply this expertise to develop products that are more sustainable than ever.

In terms of product sustainability, tesa has adopted a holistic and scientific approach.

On the one hand, we develop and produce adhesive solutions that are more environmentally friendly due to the use of bio-based or recycled raw materials in the ingredients, solvent-free production or their ability to be recycled. The responsible sourcing of raw materials has played an increasingly major role over recent years.

On the other hand, we help our customers increase the sustainability of their own products and processes with our innovative product uses. Adhesives are more important than ever. Bonded materials can be separated again if the adhesive is designed accordingly. Products that are broken can be fixed with adhesives instead of being discarded. Adhesive bonds have the power to replace screw-fastened or welded joints and make cars lighter, for example, which reduces the amount of energy required for propulsion.

tesa already uses bio-based materials such as natural rubber. Other examples include natural resins which can be added either pure or modified to adhesives made from rubbers, acrylate or other polymers. Polylactic acid has also used been as a base for the first time starting in 2021 and can be found in the innovative tesapack® Bio & Strong packaging tape. Plant-based cornstarch from carefully selected sources, which is also a naturally renewable material, provides the basic raw material in this tape. We also use responsibly sourced paper for backings and or liners. The material for the new paper-based tesapack® Paper Standard adhesive tape (certified) is made with paper from sustainable sources. New products will be released each year to follow these innovations for industry and our end customers. The recycled films and plastics in our tesa® EcoLogo products have become a firm fixture for the tesa brand. After all, this eco-friendly product range for consumers has been around for ten years now. 

All new products are developed on the basis of scientific research and undergo extensive critical testing. This ensures our products don’t only perform perfectly and – in the truest sense of the word – “do what it says on the label”, it also subjects them to various external and independent certification mechanisms. The high organic content of tesapack® Bio & Strong was awarded by DIN CERTCO and TÜV Austria. tesapack® Paper Standard, which also launched in 2021, is a tape with paper from sustainable sources and has been certified according to INGEDE 12 (International Association of the Deinking Industry) as disposable with waste paper.