“Tack is tailored to the specific needs of the adhesive and adhesive tape value chain, developed in a collaborative way by actors along the complete supply chain,” said Dr. Pablo Englebienne, regulatory affairs and sustainability manager at Afera. “Downstream users welcome the tool for providing reliable and consistent data on environmental impact following established principles and guidelines.”
Designed for B2B use, Tack empowers manufacturers, converters and raw material suppliers. Its user-friendly design is said to ensure simplicity, allowing even those without LCA expertise to accurately calculate PCF values.
“Tack is a real game changer for our member companies,” commented 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.”
A collaborative path to simplified PCF calculations
The two associations joined forces in 2023 to develop a standardised 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 reflects the excellent collaboration between Afera and IVK, showing how associations can join efforts and work together, harmonising approaches and supporting member companies on their sustainability journeys,” shared Margarida Gama, senior consulting manager at Sphera. “The user-friendly tool simplifies the calculation of PCF results aligned with TfS guidelines, constituting great support to the individual companies.”
TACK leverages internationally recognised standards to deliver transparent, reliable and accurate PCF values available across the supply chain:
• ISO 14067:2018 – Greenhouse Gases: Carbon Footprint of Products, enhanced by the Together for Sustainability (TfS) PCF Guideline.
• ISO 14040:2006 – Environmental Management: Life Cycle Assessment.
A validated calculation model has been developed specifically by and for the tapes and adhesives sectors. A common methodology across the sector increases the reliability of data provided to downstream users for the complete industry. The pre-customised, web-based tool provides access to a curated database and ensures secure data transmission with end-to-end encryption.
To increase the credibility of self-declaration of carbon indicators for adhesive and tape products, Afera and IVK engaged DEKRA Assurance Services. The auditing firm pre-verified the software model and the web tool's functionality, and reviewed them against the TfS PCF Guideline, delivering a thorough evaluation.
“TfS congratulates Afera and IVK on the launch of TACK,” reacted Alessandro Pistillo, co-chair of Together for Sustainability’s Scope 3 GHG emissions programme at BASF. “By aligning with the TfS PCF Guideline, the tool provides a clear, consistent and transparent calculation of PCF for adhesives and tapes. TfS is committed and honoured to support Afera and IVK on their sustainable transformation journey with its PCF Guideline and other standardisation activities.”
Downstream users welcome the tool
Tack received strong praise when presented in its development phase at Afera’s Annual Conference in Thessaloniki in September 2024. Highlighting the tool’s potential, Venla Hemmilä, material & technology engineer at IKEA stated, “Tack in Swedish means thank you, and I would like to express my thanks for your Tack, Afera and IVK’s newly developed PCF calculation tool for adhesives and adhesive tapes. So, tack for Tack, because it will make our work easier! If we have your industry working on standardising the method of measuring LCAs, it will save a lot of time on this job of confirmation that we need to do inside our company.” She said at the time that they had been in discussions with IVK for more than a year, so IKEA knew that they could use the data coming out of Tack.
The sentiment is echoed by another downstream user of tapes, Gentherm. As an automotive supplier, Gentherm receives requests from customers for accurate PCF values of their products. With the introduction of Tack, they can now reliably receive and input accurate primary data for tapes. The company believes that the tool will significantly improve the availability of accurate PCFs for tapes, forming a solid foundation for further optimisation efforts.
Co-creation at the core of Tack’s development
More than 80 Afera and IVK members played an integral role in Tack’s development by participating in scoping exercises, workshops, and discussions guided by Sphera. Users can input primary data from suppliers or utilise a meticulously curated, high-quality secondary data set from Sphera’s LCA database. Currently, Tack’s database for adhesive tapes consists of 74 raw materials incorporated into adhesive tapes, plus 17 recipes for generic adhesives and release coatings, totalling 91 entries. Tack’s database for adhesives consists of 162 substance groups (plus additional values for packaging materials). Thorough reporting and transparent methodology documentation enables third-party verification of PCF values, supporting trust and consistency across the industry.
“Tack will allow harmonisation in PCF calculations within our industry,” commented Ingrid Wasbauer, regulatory affairs manager at Nitto Belgium NV and one of the first users of the tool.
“More importantly, this initiative not only promotes transparency but encourages information sharing across the value chain, aligning with the requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).”
Enabling an affordable solution for member companies through collective collaboration
Afera and IVK members can obtain a license to access Tack, a collaboratively developed tool designed to ensure accessibility and affordability for both new and existing members. Additionally, the shared maintenance costs among all members not only make it cost-effective but facilitate the regular implementation of new features.
Simplifying PCF calculations and reporting across the value chain
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 optimisation.
Preparations for the launch and the road ahead
On 20 March 2025, more than 160 participants tuned in for a live demo of the tool. The final training session featured real-time sample calculations for adhesives and adhesive tapes, providing participants with a hands-on understanding of TACK’s capabilities. Attendees actively engaged during a live Q&A session, raising insightful questions and gaining deeper insights.
“At ATP, we believe that tools like Tack are crucial for creating a more transparent and environmentally responsible adhesive tape industry,” shared Paul Schwitter, chief commercial officer, ATP adhesive systems AG. Schwitter presented the Tack tool at the PSTC Conference in May 2025 as part of his talk on PCF of self-adhesive tapes. “It was an honour to showcase the TACK tool at PSTC’s Tape Week, alongside other industry leaders committed to advancing sustainability,” he added.
Licensed users can now access Tack, with Afera and IVK set to gather user feedback in the second half of the year. Insights from this evaluation will shape future enhancements, with the first scheduled maintenance anticipated in 2026.
Looking ahead, IVK and Afera – through actions within its Flagship Sustainability Project (AFSP) – will continue enhancing Tack by integrating more sustainability metrics. Future updates aim to include features such as Product Environmental Footprint assessments and Environmental Product Declarations, further broadening the tool’s scope and utility.
