With green hydrogen toward climate-neutral production:
Senator Fegebank presents funding to tesa

• Funding for conversion and infrastructure: IFB Hamburg supports tesa with EUR 950,000 for hydrogen infrastructure and the conversion of processes
• Hydrogen connection from 2027: Via HH-WIN, the tesa plant in Hamburg will be supplied with hydrogen from 2027
• Transformation toward climate-neutral production: tesa is driving energy efficiency, energy savings and the shift to renewable energy

 

Hamburg, March 30, 2026 – A strong signal for Hamburg as an industrial location: tesa, an international manufacturer of innovative adhesive tapes and self-adhesive product solutions, will be connected to the Hamburg Hydrogen Industry Network (HH-WIN) by 2027. Today, Senator for the Environment and Second Mayor Katharina Fegebank presented tesa with a funding commitment from the City of Hamburg in the amount of EUR 950,000 at the tesa plant in Hamburg. This will enable tesa to convert parts of its production facilities to hydrogen and to realize the connection to the hydrogen industry network. Hamburg Energienetze will ensure that the plant is supplied with the climate-neutral energy carrier via HH-WIN as early as 2027.

As part of its sustainability strategy “we do”, tesa is working toward climate-neutral production by 2030. At the Hamburg plant, the largest production site and home to energy-intensive adhesive tape manufacturing, an award-winning transformation concept is paving the way to climate neutrality. It is based on four pillars: green hydrogen, electrification of process steam with heat storage, AI-supported control systems, and continuous efficiency improvements.

Katharina Fegebank, Senator for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture: “I am truly pleased that tesa, a genuine Hamburg company with a long tradition, is taking this consistent step and demonstrating how the switch to green hydrogen can work in practice. With our funding, we are paving the way for climate-neutral production and giving the location the backing it needs for this major transformation. It is the goal of this Senate for Hamburg to lead the way as a hydrogen hub in Europe and prove that ecological responsibility and economic success go hand in hand. The fact that a global player like tesa so clearly links its commitment to Hamburg with our climate targets is a strong signal and gives us substantial momentum for the further ramp-up of the hydrogen economy.”

Dr. Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economic Affairs, Labour and Innovation: "Decarbonizing industrial processes is one of the most important tasks for politicians and businesses if we are to achieve our climate targets, and tesa is demonstrating how this can be done at the site Hamburg-Hausbruch. A functioning hydrogen economy requires close collaboration between all parties. Recognizing the potential of sustainable hydrogen early on, Hamburg is advancing the connection of industrial consumers to the pipeline network – not just in the planning phase, but in very concrete terms. This is an attractive proposition for industry. In this way, the location will remain fit for the future, securing jobs."

tesa CEO Dr. Kourosh Bahrami: “For tesa, the transformation to climate-neutral production is also an investment in the long-term viability of our business. If we want to deliver innovative adhesive solutions at consistently high quality, we need an energy supply that is reliable, predictable, and increasingly climate-neutral. Connecting to HH‑WIN and converting our facilities is therefore a crucial step. We are reducing emissions, strengthening our resilience, and laying the foundation to support our customers around the world even more reliably in meeting their own sustainability goals.”

tesa CTO Dr. Ingrid Sebald: “Climate-neutral production is not a distant goal for us – it is something we are actively advancing in day-to-day operations. The funding and the connection to HH-WIN are important building blocks to accelerate the transformation at the Hamburg site. They provide planning security, strengthen our competitiveness and reinforce the industrial base here. We need energy security. That means less dependence on gas imports and more protection against future rising CO₂ prices. With these investments, we reaffirm our commitment to securing the future of the Hamburg site. The constructive, partnership-based cooperation with the City of Hamburg, the environmental authority and Hamburg Energienetze shows how joint efforts can pave the way to a climate-neutral future.”

Dr. Peter Wolffram, Managing Director, Corporate and Customer Division at Hamburg Energienetze: “Hamburg will be one of the first major industrial locations to have large-scale hydrogen supply available as early as 2027. With the planning mandate for the hydrogen connection facilities in 2024 and now the contract to build them, tesa is an important and far-sighted customer for us with global reach. Together with the City and the environmental authority, we want to create location conditions through the construction of the HH-WIN hydrogen industry network that offer incentives and perspectives for climate-neutral production. Thanks to the IFB funding program, we can now build the connection facility together with tesa and show what sustainable production can look like.”

Ralf Sommer, CEO of IFB Hamburg: “Building a hydrogen economy requires courageous companies, robust infrastructure and targeted funding. With the ‘Companies for Resource Protection’ program, we support Hamburg companies in making their production step by step climate-neutral. The fact that an internationally active industrial company like tesa is adopting green hydrogen at an early stage shows the great potential of this technology for industrial transformation in Hamburg.”

HH-WIN: Backbone of Hamburg’s energy transition

The build-out of the Hamburg Hydrogen Industry Network (HH-WIN) by Hamburg Energienetze is progressing rapidly. The network will be the backbone for decarbonizing local industry and, as planned, will go into operation in 2027. With an initial pipeline length of 40 kilometers in the port area, HH-WIN will directly connect producers, import terminals and industrial offtakers such as tesa. By 2031/32, the network is set to grow to a total of 60 kilometers to connect additional companies.

Around 18 kilometers of the route have already been completed. HH-WIN’s strategic importance extends far beyond Hamburg: it is an integral part of the national hydrogen core network and connects directly to the nationwide long-distance pipeline system and major energy centers in southern Germany. This ensures maximum flexibility in supply: Hamburg companies will be able to source hydrogen from a wide range of providers – whether via imports through a sea terminal or from domestic production. A key component is the large-scale electrolyzer (HGHH) at the former Moorburg power plant site, where construction began in December 2025. A dedicated feed-in facility will ensure that the green hydrogen produced on site can be distributed directly across Hamburg’s entire network area.

 

tesa is driving transformation at sites worldwide

As a multinational company active in more than 100 countries and operating plants in Germany, Italy, China, the USA and Vietnam, tesa is continuously working to decarbonize its production sites. By 2030, the company will invest around EUR 300 million in transforming its business. tesa is focusing on solvent-free production, efficiency improvements and advanced technologies. With a 50% reduction in CO₂ emissions (Scope 1 and 2) and 90% renewable electricity supply, the company is well on its way to climate-neutral production. This strategy is delivering results: in 2026, tesa received the CDP A rating and the EcoVadis Gold Medal for the third year in a row.

 

“Companies for Resource Protection”: support for the “last mile”

Funding for tesa is provided through the established “Companies for Resource Protection” (UfR) program, which has been managed by Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank (IFB Hamburg) since 2014. To accelerate the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy, the environmental authority expanded the program comprehensively in December 2025. It closes a key gap in the transformation chain: while HH-WIN provides the infrastructure, the UfR program supports companies with the so-called “last mile” – the physical connection of the plant premises to the network and the technical conversion of production processes to the new energy carrier. Financed from Hamburg’s Climate Plan, the program offers investment grants of up to EUR 1 million, creating the necessary security for industrial transition.