tesa continues its commitment to building a sustainable future

Sustainability is an integral component of tesa’s business processes. The company, with its UK operation headquartered in Milton Keynes and global headquarters in Norderstedt near Hamburg, Germany, operates in over 100 countries worldwide and has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2006. In 2018, tesa also reaffirmed its goal to make its contribution to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

From the procurement of raw materials to recycling, tesa assumes responsibility at all stages of the value chain, expecting suppliers to follow suit and conform to the same sustainability standards. tesa’s approach to sustainability focuses on four strategic areas of activity and improvement; the environment, employees, products and society.

Treating the environment and natural resources with care is one of tesa’s key corporate goals, with emphasis placed on protecting the climate by reducing CO₂ emissions. The company has been able to make a wide range of products more environmentally friendly in recent times with the help of energy-efficient, solvent-free manufacturing processes. Renewable and recycled materials are used whenever possible and production waste is limited with resource efficiency considered during the early stages of development and manufacturing processes.  

tesa uses energy and resource saving technologies such as generating their own energy through cogeneration (combined heat and power, CHP) and an energy management system, certified in accordance with EMSt 50001, that is implemented at the sites with the highest CO₂ emissions and has significantly increased energy efficiency at these sites. Another strategic approach is obtaining electricity from renewable sources. The business continues to work towards its 2015 set goal of reducing specific CO₂ emissions per metric ton of end-product by 10% by the end of 2020, as well as reducing specific waste volume by two percentage points in the same time-frame.

Voluntarily assuming social responsibility is part of tesa’s corporate philosophy and firmly anchored in the corporate values.

As a technology company, tesa supports young people in STEM subjects by inviting them to project days, giving them insight into the different occupational fields available to them. Moreover, all affiliates are encouraged to undertake volunteer work and donate portions of sales to social projects in their area. For the last 10 years, tesa UK has supported The Walnuts School in Milton Keynes and recently began an ongoing partnership with Ride High, who work with some of the most disadvantaged and isolated children in the area.

Regarding environmental protection, tesa supports several projects that promote the preservation of nature and sustainable lifestyles, such as cooperating with an environmental centre in Hamburg and supporting the ‘Million Tree Project’, a tree-planting campaign in Mongolia.

Jeremy Smith, Trade Marketing Manager, tesa UK, says “What we produce is not all that matters, it is also how we produce it. tesa has been known as a pillar of innovation and high product quality for many years, but we also have a long tradition of being ecologically and socially responsible. However, we steadily work on improving our performance, identifying potential savings in energy consumption and reducing emissions. We see sustainability as a continuous ambition and something very important to everyone connected to tesa.”