Recognised for developing sector-wide PCF calculation tool for adhesives and adhesive tapes, and creating interactive stakeholder mapping tool

The Hague, The Netherlands—Afera, the European Adhesive Tape Association, has been nominated for the Mans Lejeune Award 2024, which was presented today at Lejeune Association Management’s sixtieth anniversary conference in The Hague, The Netherlands. The Mans Lejeune Award is a prestigious award recognising industry associations which excel in sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Named after the company’s founder, the award celebrates associations which lead innovative, collaborative projects to advance sustainable development in line with the European Green Deal (EGD).

Afera was recognised for its Flagship Sustainability Project (AFSP), the centrepiece of its ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility within the adhesive tape industry. Launched in 2021 and ever-expanding, the AFSP aims to translate the EGD to Afera’s 115 member businesses, focussing on making aligned calculation methods available for evaluating the environmental impact of adhesive tapes, establishing the best available techniques for the management of waste from adhesive tapes, and providing information to members about the impact of the EGD on the tape industry through links between Afera, the European Commission and other relevant stakeholders.

Key achievements of the AFSP include 1) the development of a web-based, sector-wide tool for PCF calculation of both adhesives and adhesive tapes using an aligned, straightforward, affordable method, and 2) the creation of an interactive stakeholder mapping tool to foster industry-wide collaboration on sustainability.

PCF calculation tool: Enabling companies to measure and reduce the environmental impact of their products and to align with new CO? reporting standards

PCFs are to be calculated according to ISO standard 14067:2018: Greenhouse Gases – Carbon
Footprint of Products through an expansion of the Together for Sustainability (TfS) PCF Guideline, and ISO standard 14040:2006 Environmental Management – Life Cycle Assessment. A third-party validated calculation model has been collaboratively developed by and for the tapes and adhesives sectors, using feedback from over 30 companies (Afera and IVK members) representing the wide European industry. It is compatible with the supply chain up- and downstream.

Stakeholder mapping tool: Fostering industry-wide collaboration on sustainability

Focussing on fostering partnerships with external players, an interactive tool enables users to find the associations and groups in the adhesive tape stakeholder universe. The objective is to stay updated with the changes that are happening in other industries and to explore co-operation on common topics that can help drive sustainability and circularity.

“This recognition celebrates innovative collaboration and sustainability within trade associations, aligning perfectly which our values and mission,” reacted Astrid Lejeune, Afera secretary general, who was recently honoured for her 25 years of service to the non-profit organisation dedicated to uniting stakeholders along the value chain of the European adhesive tape industry to ensure and increase its sustainability. She is also the daughter of Mans Lejeune. “We have proudly accepted this honour on behalf of Afera’s team whose dedicated work, along with the valuable contributions of our 115 members and the 3 AFSP workstreams, made this achievement possible.”

“This is a salute to Afera’s leadership in the transformation of the adhesive tape sector from sustainable thinking to sustainable action,” added Pablo Englebienne, Afera regulatory affairs and sustainability manager. “We’ve witnessed the benefits of collaboration and co-creation within our sustainability project and are looking to go further in this journey.”

For more information, visit www.afera.com/adhesive-tapes-sustainability/flagship-sustainability-project, www.lejeune.nl/mans-lejeune-award/ or contact [email protected].