Innovations that make an impact: tesa presents the HUGO Impact Award 2026

• Three winning projects honored: from foldable applications to smart labels and energy intelligence
• Measurable added value in focus: for customers, processes and supply chains
• Innovation close to the market: customer proximity, technology and AI for scalable solutions

Norderstedt, July 15, 2026 – tesa, an international manufacturer of innovative adhesive tapes and self-adhesive product solutions, has presented the HUGO Impact Award 2026. The internal award recognizes projects that turn ideas into measurable impact – for customers, processes and the future of tesa. Projects were submitted from around the world: from customer-focused product solutions and more efficient, sustainable processes to future technologies such as smart labels, MicroLED process tapes and automated bonding solutions. They show how tesa brings its strategic ambition of tape enabled solutions to life: by combining materials, applications, process understanding and customer requirements to develop solutions that go beyond traditional adhesive tape. Three projects were honored this year.

Three solutions with concrete added value

In the Customer & Product category, an adhesive solution for foldable smartphones was recognized. It addresses a key customer need in a dynamically growing market: displays must remain reliable, smooth and visually high-quality even after frequent folding and unfolding. With this solution, tesa contributes to new product designs and improved user experiences.

In the Process category, an AI-powered energy intelligence solution stood out. It helps manage the use of electricity more intelligently and use energy more efficiently. The project shows how digital technologies can improve processes, conserve resources and provide operational support for sustainability targets.

In the Shaping the Future category, smart labels were honored that can track shipments and monitor temperature data. This expands the role of self-adhesive solutions: from functional materials to intelligent applications that improve transparency, quality assurance and efficiency in supply chains.

Innovation as a strategic lever

“The HUGO Impact Award reflects our understanding of innovation: it starts with a deep understanding of our customers. Together with them, we develop Tape Enabled Solutions and combine technological expertise with digitalization and artificial intelligence to solve concrete challenges and create real added value. This is exactly what drives us at tesa,” says Dr. Kourosh Bahrami, CEO of tesa.

With the HUGO Impact Award, tesa strengthens an innovation culture that consistently turns ideas into applications. The award is named after Hugo Kirchberg, whose tesa dispenser was an early example of how a simple idea can become a product with lasting customer benefit. Today, HUGO stands for the same ambition: making innovations visible faster, developing them across teams and translating them into concrete solutions that go beyond traditional adhesive tape.