Consumer Industry About tesa Sustainability Career Insights

Prioritising sustainability as a guiding force

Helping to create a more sustainable future is our most important task – as an international company, a manufacturer of innovative adhesive solutions, a business partner, and an employer. We are fully committed to this goal with all of our expertise, relying on our science-based approach and the potential of our innovations.

CEO Dr. Norman Goldberg and CTO Dr. Ingrid Sebald about the relevance of sustainability at tesa


Our journey towards a more sustainable future

tesa has made sustainability a priority and we are working on this crucial transformation of our business. We aim to develop more sustainable adhesive solutions and products. With ambitious goals and five strategic action areas, we contribute to achieving these targets.

Action areas and targets

Reduce emissions – For a climate neutral future

Windmills for electric power production, Zaragoza Province, Aragon, Spain.

Our major sustainability targets 2030

  • Climate neutral production (Scope 1 and 2) versus base year 2018 (Status 2023: -38%).
  • Our indirect supply chain emissions will be reduced by at least 20% (Scope 3) versus base year 2018 (Status 2023: -15%).
Read more on how we reduce emissions

Source responsibily – We strive for responsible and sustainable sourcing of our raw materials

Source responsibly

Our major sustainability targets 2030

  • We target full transparency of our supply chains.
  • At least 80% of our spend will go to suppliers that are aligned with our sustainability standards (Status 2023: 70%).
Read more on how we work on transparency

Rethink materials – We focus on recycled and bio-based materials

Male scientist and farm worker inspecting seedlings for disease in greenhouse

Our major sustainability targets 2030

  • 70% of the materials for our products and packaging will be recycled or bio-based (Status 2023: 24%).
  • We will cut the use of virgin fossil plastics by half until 2030. In our packaging we want to achieve this already by 2025 (Status 2023: -16%).
Read more on how we rethink materials

Support our customers – Achieving greater sustainability together with our customers

Support our customers

Our major sustainability targets 2030

  • Innovative adhesive solutions are available for our customers that contribute to sustainability of their processes and applications.
  • We will make these positive contributions measurable.
Read more on how we grow with our customers


Stories about what we do for a more sustainable future

At tesa, we have made sustainability a priority and are working on this important transformation of our company. There is a lot of work to be done to make a company more sustainable, and we want to use our expertise and our passion to tackle all of it: How we operate, how products are made, how we choose suppliers and raw materials, and how we think and act all need to become more sustainable. To see what we are working on, take a look at our stories.

Production and Reduction – a Balancing Act

How do you quickly reduce the CO₂ emissions of a manufacturing plant by almost 50 percent? By taking radical and innovative measures - and pulling all possible levers. A visit to our site in Sparta, Michigan.

Discover story

Sustainable procurement of wood and paper

A tree's ability to capture CO₂ depends on several factors, including its species, age, wood density, growth rate, climate, soil quality, and water supply. For instance, a mature beech tree, around 80 years old and with a dry mass of 600 kilograms in leaves, branches, trunk, and root system, can capture one tonne of CO₂. This means that a beech tree can absorb 12.5 kilograms of CO₂ per year. Therefore, to offset one tonne of CO₂ annually, 80 trees would need to be planted. This emphasises the significance of sustainable forest management, where tree populations are meticulously controlled.

Discover the full story Read more about the action area

Ambitious goals, many steps. For a new generation of adhesive tapes.

Highest product quality, lower CO₂ emissions in the value chain, more sustainability in our range: we have set ourselves ambitious goals and are pursuing them consistently. Everything is being put to the test, from plants and production processes to products, supply chains and raw materials. The ongoing transformation processes do not stop at our "classics. Quite the contrary: Pioneers in tesa adhesive tape technology, such as tesa® 4965 and tesafilm® Eco & Crystal, demonstrate what is possible through intelligent and innovative changes as we increasingly rely on recycled and bio-based materials. The new generation of tried-and-true adhesive tapes makes no compromises in terms of reliability and quality, and at the same time takes into account the growing importance of sustainability for our customers and stakeholders.

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Back to the future – the second life of polystyrene end walls

"Out of sight, out of mind" no longer applies. At least not at tesa, when it comes to the question of what happens to our high-quality packaging once the product it protects has arrived safely at our customers. In 2023, our packaging development at headquarters launched a pilot project in cooperation with the local team at the tesa site in Suzhou: Hundreds of thousands of rolls of industrial tape shipped from the Shanghai warehouse to customers could potentially be reused in a cycle. 

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Saving resources and promoting circularity

It has always been one of tesa's core competencies to develop cutting-edge adhesive tape solutions that add value and help make our customers' manufacturing processes even more efficient. With its Debond-on-demand products, tesa is ushering in a new era of adhesive technology. The intelligent and innovative tapes deliver on the promise of permanent and secure adhesive bonds, but can be removed without leaving any residue. This opens up completely new possibilities - also in terms of increasingly sustainable industrial design.

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Passion for People - Internationality and Diversity at tesa

Around the world, about 5,200 employees from 93 nations work for tesa. As a global company, we are proud of the international character and diversity of our most important resource: the people who are a part of tesa. Because we believe that this is the basis for cooperation in which everyone has the opportunity to give their best at work, we cultivate a culture of trust, respect, and tolerance. This is the root of our innovative strength and strong customer relationships.

Discover the full story Read more about the action area


Learn more about sustainability at tesa