Why should I be switching to recyclable tapes?
Quick overview
- Recyclable tapes are adhesive solutions designed to be compatible with established recycling streams, helping support material recovery and product circularity.
- They are intended to simplify separation into recycling streams such as PET, paper, or cardboard while supporting design-for-recycling initiatives.
- Recycling-friendly tape solutions help reduce environmental impact, support sustainability targets, and maintain performance in packaging and industrial applications.
- Recyclable tape development is part of broader efforts to improve circularity, reduce waste, and support evolving sustainability requirements.
Seemingly small changes can be drivers of huge impact. Recycling-friendly tapes are the current champions for making your packaging and processes more sustainable. Once available, it could help reduce your carbon footprint by replacing your traditional adhesives with recyclable tapes.
We are here to help you on your sustainability journey. Through our practices, you can feel confident that we're sourcing materials responsibly, producing solvent-free adhesives, and improving product circularity. We’re taking care of packaging, meaning you can focus on what you do best.
What are recyclable tapes?
While there is no overall definition, generally speaking, recyclable tapes are defined as those made with materials that are compatible with established recycling streams. They may consist of mono-materials or adhesives that can be taken apart easily. This makes it possible to separate them into streams such as PET, paper, or cardboard.
The crucial difference between more sustainable and recyclable tapes is whether they can be recycled after use. Our more sustainable tapes are made with bio-based and recycled materials, but can't always be recycled. Whereas recyclable tapes can be recycled in their entirety.
Currently we don’t yet have any fully recyclable tapes in our portfolio, but developing them is in our future vision. That being said, we do have a focus on producing recycling-friendly tapes.
Recyclable tape solutions for circular packaging and product design
Best for: Recyclable tapes are designed for applications that support material recovery, circularity, and design-for-recycling goals. They are relevant for packaging and industrial processes where compatibility with established recycling streams and improved sustainability performance are important considerations.
Why they perform
- Compatible with established recycling streams
- Support product circularity
- Help simplify material recovery
- Support design-for-recycling initiatives
- Maintain performance in existing processes
- Available as recycling-friendly alternatives
Typical applications
- Packaging applications
- Appliance transportation and storage
- Mono-material packaging concepts
- Material separation processes
- Design-for-recycling initiatives
Performance takeaway: Recyclable tape development supports circular product design and material recovery while helping organizations advance their sustainability objectives.
Why will recyclable tapes be important for industrial design?
Tape and adhesives are often overlooked in recyclability and sustainability assessments. Yet they can make or break compliance. Design-for-recycling is becoming standard in many industries. Packaging and appliances emphasise this in particular, where waste materials can be high.
Recyclable tapes will be a must-have in the future. In the meantime, we're here to help you redefine how you secure appliances for transportation and storage. That could be replacing traditional plastic straps for recycling-friendly and bio-based alternatives.
The core goals of recycling-friendly and recyclable tapes are to:
- Support product circularity
- Reduce impact on the environment
- Simplify material recovery
Regulatory frameworks such as PPWR (opens in a new window or tab) and customer procurement standards will always evolve. And fast. You are our priority, so we stay informed about current and upcoming regulations to ensure you are always compliant.
What are the benefits of recyclable tapes?
Switching to recycling-friendly now and recyclable tapes in the future, will not compromise the quality of your existing operations.
Here are some of the main benefits of making the transition to recyclable tapes:
- Improve and meet your product sustainability targets.
- Our more sustainable tapes have proven processability on market-standard tape applicators, delivering a smooth unwinding experience.
- Strong paper backings and high adhesion deliver high-quality performance with less impact on the environment.
- No compromise to the aesthetics of your final packaging! Our recyclable-friendly tapes are available in a number of finishes, including print-ready surfaces.
tesa’s approach to design-for-recycling
We are proactively developing more sustainable tapes and adhesives. One of our goals is to support material separation, mono-material packaging, and clean recycling. This is part of our broader effort to push circularity, reduce waste, and support design-for-recycling.
Our collaborations with industry partners and customers help develop our understanding of the challenges and opportunities you face. We believe this is the most effective way to develop cutting-edge solutions that deliver results AND minimise impact on the environment.
tesa’s recycling-friendly tapes portfolio
Downloads
Helping you find more sustainable tapes for your needs
It’s our mission to help bring about more sustainable tapes and packaging solutions to our customers, roll by roll. Our team will be delighted to help you find the most suitable tapes, adhesives, and packaging solutions for your business. Fill out the form below and one of our experts will be in touch shortly.
Reduce emissions
Read more
Source responsibly
Read more
Rethink materials
Read more
Push circularity
Read more
Support customers
Read more
Recyclable tapes FAQs
Can you recycle tape together with packaging materials?
Whether you can recycle tape together with packaging depends on the type of tape, packaging material, and recycling process involved. Using recyclable tape solutions can help businesses consider the compatibility of tape and packaging materials when designing more sustainable packaging processes.
How does recyclable tape support more sustainable packaging solutions?
Recyclable tape helps businesses consider sustainability when selecting packaging materials by providing tape solutions designed with recyclability in mind. It supports companies looking to improve their packaging approach while maintaining the adhesive performance required for secure and reliable packaging applications.
What should businesses consider when choosing recyclable tape?
When selecting recyclable tape, businesses should consider the packaging materials involved, required adhesion performance, and the sustainability requirements of their application. Choosing the right tape helps ensure reliable packaging performance while supporting more responsible material choices.
Last updated on Sep 16, 2026