tesa publishes Sustainability Report 2020

Last year, the technology company, active in 100 countries, hailed sustainable growth as a critical component of its corporate strategy. The core element is the new Sustainability Agenda, which serves as a blueprint to align the tesa business responsibly and holistically along the entire value chain. Subdivided into the areas environment, customers, and society, the plan contains specific goals and measures clearly explained in the 48-page Sustainability Report 2020.

‘We've come a good step closer to our goal of operating climate-neutrally by 2050. Between 2018 and 2020, we managed to reduce our energy-related CO2 emissions by 23 percent," explained Dr Norman Goldberg, CEO of tesa. Since the end of 2020, all tesa offices and production locations worldwide receive 100 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy or hydropower. Moreover, in 2020 we joined the initiative Business Ambition for 1.5° C.’ 

With the recent initiative, the company commits to align its business activities with limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5° C and implementing suitable measures for this purpose. Only around 400 leading corporations globally have committed to this agreement. 

An example of an innovative adhesive solution that helps tesa customers in the electronics industry to be more environmentally conscious are tesa Bond & Detach products. Thanks to these tapes, different smartphone components, such as the battery, can be firmly bonded and then removed without residue for repair purposes or at the end of the device's service life. This simplifies recycling and saves resources.

‘Our current portfolio is quite impressive. At the moment, we have almost 50 active projects which explicitly support sustainable action in product and technology development: two-thirds at the product level and one-third at the technology level. The spectrum ranges from tapes with adhesives made from bio-based monomers for smartphones to adhesive packaging tapes that can simply be disposed of in the compost after use,’ added Dr Stefan Röber, head of tesa product and technology development unit, who will also take on the newly created position of chief sustainability officer. 

‘The different facets of sustainability will become increasingly relevant and turn into an even more significant competitive factor,’ commented Goldberg. ‘We are therefore very pleased that Dr Stefan Röber and his 500-strong international team of experienced product developers and engineers will drive the topic forward. Especially since there are great synergies between sustainability and product and technology development.’

A separate chapter in the tesa Sustainability Report is dedicated to the Covid-19 pandemic. In spring 2020, the company decided to make EUR 5 million available and made donations to the aid program of the Beiersdorf Group: Care Beyond Skin. The executive and supervisory boards at tesa have decided to support the global Covid-19 crisis funds run by Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children. Moreover, tesa donates in seven regions to local organizations selected directly by the affiliates, from Asia to North and Latin America and Europe.