Afera, The European Adhesive Tape Association, and the German Adhesives Association, Industrieverband Klebstoffe e.V. (IVK), recently announced the launch of TACK (Tapes and Adhesive Calculation Kit), a collaborative product carbon footprint (PCF) calculation tool for the adhesives and tapes industry. The web-based tool facilitates the calculation of standardized PCF values, helping businesses meet current and future legal requirements. 

Designed by Sphera, a recognized integrated sustainability company, TACK leverages internationally recognized ISO standards and the Together for Sustainability (TfS) PCF Guidelines enabling the availability of transparent, reliable and accurate PCF values across the supply chain. Third-party verification has been conducted by DEKRA Assurance Services GmbH, verifying the correct functionality of the web-based tool and ensuring compliance with TfS PCF guidelines.

“TACK is a real game changer for our member companies,” said Dr. Vera Haye, managing director at Industrieverband Klebstoffe e.V. “Regardless of whether they are multinational or micro-enterprises, all of them can now easily calculate the PCF values of all their adhesive or adhesive tape products according to the TfS industry standard.” 

The two associations joined forces in 2023 to develop a standardized method to calculate the environmental impact of adhesives and adhesive tapes. PCF, one of the most established methods for determining the climate impact of a product, sums up the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by a product over the various stages of its life cycle. Teaming up with Sphera, Afera and IVK worked on a unified tool designed to streamline the calculation process of PCF specifically curated for these two sectors. 

TACK allows businesses to navigate the complexities of Scope 3 reporting, helping them meet legal requirements as well as the demands of the supply chain. The tool is designed to:    

• Enable user-friendly calculation of results: Interactive report with integrated parameters allows dynamic calculation of PCF results within a click.
• Support communication: TACK methodology and processes are third-party verified; therefore, only input data needs to be verified by users before external communication of the results.
• Facilitate eco-design and decision-making: Variation of parameters and scenario analyses enables comparison of alternatives regarding raw material composition of products (e.g., different compositions and supplier specific data), as well as process optimization.

Learn more at www.afera.com.