As you would agree, 2023 was an eventful year! Last year, we hosted 24 workstream meetings with over 50 expert participants, carried out a successful scoping exercise in the form of 4 workshops for the development of the PCF tool, and worked on 5 position papers and guidance documents. As we step into the third year of the project, here’s a look at the main goals set for 2024  for each of the three workstreams. 

WS1 – Calculation Methods

In 2024, the focus will be on data collection with the goal to have the first draft (minimum viable product) of the tool ready by Q3 2024. Sphera will work in close cooperation with Afera to finalise the raw material clusters and build the database required to set up the tool. 

The workstream will also continue to evaluate the next steps to be taken regarding Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) calculations for tapes.

WS2 – Waste Management

To build an ecosystem for efficient waste collection and recycling of tape liners, WS2 participants continue to gather insights from the shortlisted list of collectors and recyclers. In addition to conducting telephonic interviews, WS2 participants also invited Petri Tani, the managing director of Cycle4green (C4G), to one of the workstream meetings in Q4 2023. C4G has extensive experience in managing label liner waste and is looking to expand further to manage liner waste from other industries including tapes. 

In 2024, more such workshops and meetings to implementing the 9Rs framework will be organized, which will guide the discussions within WS2 on how to tackle the identified issues (fragmented availability, contamination of tape waste, etc.) and apply new technologies and partnerships to advance the circularity of tapes.

WS3 – Advocacy

In the last quarter, WS3 participants made good progress in developing guidance documents and position papers to support the needs of Afera members. The ‘members-only’ versions of the following documents are ready and will be made available soon: 
(1) Impact of Spanish Plastic Packaging Tax on the tapes industry
(2) Impact of UK Plastic Packaging Tax on adhesive tapes
(3) Position paper on Mass Balance Approach    

• ‘Design for recycling’ (DfR) guidelines for packaging tapes, aimed at tape manufacturers and converters
• Sustainable use of tapes in packaging applications, aimed at brand owners, end-users, tape manufacturers, and converters

In 2024, WS3 will focus on fostering partnerships and collaboration with external stakeholders across the value chain. The process to map out associations and sustainability projects within the relevant upstream and downstream sectors is underway. WS3 will also continue to work in close coordination with the Regulatory Affairs Working Group to monitor the impact of legislative developments.

In 2023 we made good progress on the goals we set out to achieve within the Afera Flagship Sustainability Project. We worked intensely together with iour partners IVK and Sphera to scope out the requirements to develop a tool to calculate Product Carbon Footprint of adhesive tapes; the preparatory work within Workstream 1 will allow us to swiftly initiate the next stage of the project, aiming for a draft availability in the second half of this year. Workstream 2 finished collecting data on the available release liner waste in the supply chain (manufacturers and converters), and initiated discussions with collectors and recyclers to develop a release liner recycling program for the tape industry. Workstream 3 released 4 position papers and guidance documents, with several more in the pipeline to be released shortly. Last but not least, our Sustainability Stories are becoming published by external news outlets, increasing the visibility of the industry and the Association. 2024 promises to be an exciting year with many developments becoming visible!

If you would also like to participate in the AFSP Workstreams, please register your interest with us.

For any further questions, contact us at: AFSP@afera.com