Awarded for Climate Protection: tesa receives dena Energy Efficiency Award for climate-neutral production
- Award-winning: dena Energy Efficiency Award for climate-neutral production
- Innovative: Green hydrogen, AI control, heat storage
- Exemplary: 18,000 tons of CO₂ savings p.a., 90% CO₂ reduction, 30% less energy, transferable concept
Norderstedt – tesa, international manufacturer of innovative adhesive tapes and self-adhesive product solutions, has been awarded the prestigious dena Energy Efficiency Award in the “Moving Forward” category. The company convinced the jury with its pioneering project "Climate-neutral Production tesa Hamburg Plant", which sets new standards in energy efficiency and climate protection.
Innovative energy efficiency concept with exemplary character
The award-winning concept is based on three main pillars: the pioneering use of green hydrogen, the electrification of process steam with connected heat storage, and the use of AI-supported control of flexible supply systems for cost optimization. The Hamburg plant is the largest production facility in the tesa network and manufactures energy-intensive industrial adhesive tapes for the electronics, automotive, printing and paper industries. Production requires significant amounts of process heat and steam, particularly in drying processes and for the recovery of solvents used in the manufacturing process.
As one of the first companies in Hamburg, tesa will use green hydrogen on a large scale for adhesive tape production in the future, making an important contribution to the national ramp-up of this forward-looking technology. As part of the energy transformation, the existing steam boilers are being renewed and equipped with dual burners suitable for using hydrogen. In addition, the required steam is generated electrically and can be stored until use. From the end of 2027, tesa will be able to generate sustainable steam and process heat from green hydrogen and electricity from renewable sources at the site, once the connecting lines to the hydrogen network established by the City of Hamburg have been laid and the investment projects have been implemented.
The resulting operational additional costs for renewable energy sources will be partially offset by a climate protection contract with the federal government.
The environmental impacts of the project are impressive: Primary energy demand is reduced by 30 percent, CO₂ emissions decrease by 90 percent. This underscores tesa's commitment to climate-neutral production by 2030.
High transferability and forward-looking technologies
"This award is important recognition for our consistent sustainability strategy. With our innovative energy efficiency concept, we show that climate-neutral production is also possible in the chemical industry and create a model that other companies can also use," explains Dr. Ingrid Sebald, Chief Technology Officer of tesa SE.
The concept is characterized by its high transferability to other companies. The AI-supported control enables intelligent energy management based on marginal costs and external factors. Hydrogen is used as a complement to the energy mix to better handle peak loads – an important aspect given limited electrical connection capacity while simultaneously growing at the site. The overall concept enables annual CO₂ savings of around 18,000 tons.
Part of a comprehensive sustainability strategy
The dena Energy Efficiency Award joins a series of awards for tesa: The company was awarded the CDP A-rating for the second consecutive time in 2025 and received the EcoVadis Gold Medal for the third time. These successes are the result of the consistent sustainability strategy "we do", for which tesa is investing around 300 million euros in more sustainable technologies by 2030.
With over 600 scientists, engineers and product developers worldwide, tesa relies on science-based approaches for innovative, more sustainable products and processes. The company has already reduced its CO₂ emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 39 percent compared to 2018 and covers 90 percent of its global electricity demand through renewable energies.
About tesa SE
As a multinational company, tesa develops innovative adhesive tapes and self-adhesive product solutions for various industries, commercial customers, and end consumers. There are already more than 7,000 tesa adhesive solutions that help improve the work, products or lives of our customers. Today, the focus is on sustainability and energy-saving processes. tesa invests in the development of environmentally friendly products and solvent-free manufacture processes as well as in the use of renewable energy sources at its locations.
tesa is active in 100 countries and operates plants in Germany, Italy, China, the USA, and in Vietnam. Around three quarters of the tesa Group’s sales (2024: EUR 1.7 billion euro) are generated by applications for industries. Together with its international clients, tesa develops innovations that are customized at product and process level. Already more than 130 tesa tapes may be installed in an electric car and over 70 in a smartphone. In the printing and construction industries, too, tesa is constantly penetrating new segments and countries with its special adhesive tapes. The company generates almost one quarter of its sales with products for end consumers and professional craftsmen. 300 applications, such as the legendary tesafilm®, make life easier or, when it comes to insect protection, even make it a bit more pleasant. tesa counts among the world’s leading manufacturers of adhesive solutions. Since 2001, tesa SE is an independent 100% affiliate of Beiersdorf AG (i.e., NIVEA, Eucerin, la prairie) with approx. 5,400 employees today.
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