Afera, the European Adhesive Tape Association, recently welcomed over 150 commodity and specialty tape professionals from 15 countries across Europe, Asia and the U.S. for critical networking and deep diving into the hottest tape business issues at its successful 67th Annual Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece. This set a record for attendance of the premier yearly knowledge and networking event for the European industrial tape business since the pandemic. The event also boasted the most industry sponsorship received in the same period.
“You are the key players, inquisitive minds, influencers and innovative leaders from the adhesive tape industry, said Afera President Evert Smit (Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG, Germany) in welcoming the crowd. “This event is more than just networking and knowledge sharing. It’s about co-creating, transparency, changing mindsets and meeting the new generation on its terms—and ultimately making our technologies and businesses futureproof.”
A three-day programme featuring 15 seminars and three expert panel discussions offered a unique, transformative journey into the world of commodity and specialty tapes. Three separately themed working sessions focussed on market data and trends, regulatory affairs and sustainability, and current tape applications and technology highlights. The Conference Working Programme was preceded by Afera’s biannual committee and flagship sustainability project (AFSP) meetings. Social activities framed and enhanced each day’s schedule, including a “5 senses” tour of the old centre of Thessaloniki and networking coffee breaks and organised conference lunches, drinks and dinners on each day.
Market data and trends
Corey Reardon and Anum Javed Beg (AWA Alexander Watson Associates, The Netherlands) reported on global and European market data concerning specialty pressure sensitive tapes, which make up 15% or 7.7 billion square metres of the total global PST market. Some of the key trends they covered include the soft-to-no growth in the economies of central Europe (affecting building and construction tapes), declining growth of the European automotive industry over the past year (affecting IC engine and EV tapes), the semiconductor shortage (affecting insulation tapes), tapes used as replacements for mechanical fastenings to reduce the size of product construction, and sustainability (affecting tapes with PCR content, bio-based materials and sustainable adhesives). What is the most disruptive technology they have seen in data? Innovation in the medical segment, although it takes a significant amount of time for any product to qualify.
Evert Smit then shared his insights into the global tape market from having taken part in the Global Tape Forum and China Adhesives and Tape Industry Association Meeting in Shanghai, China, in April 2024. This included data, strategies and other market intelligence from North America (PSTC, Pressure Sensitive Tape Council), Japan (JATMA, Japanese Adhesive Tapes Manufacturers Association), China (CATIA, China Adhesives and Tape Industry Association) and Taiwan (TAAT, Taiwan Regional Association of Adhesive Tape Manufacturers).
Edris Parsa (WACKER Chemie AG, Germany) delivered his colleague Dirk Weckesser’s presentation on the trends and challenges of raw materials for the adhesives industry. In a session devoted to key impacts on strategic planning; the dynamics and building blocks of feedstock trends, fossils and global disruptions; and options and challenges to the Industry’s becoming sustainable; Parsa concluded with an explanation of the commercial implications of PCF of sustainability in about five years. It is important that in Europe we understand the industry is very sustainability-driven, and whether it concerns raw materials/feedstocks or CBAMs (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms), companies need to deal with this strategic issue as it affects their business models and investment decisions.
Afera’s next events
Afera European Tape Week
68th Annual Conference, 11th Technical Seminar & Committee Meetings
22-26 September 2025
Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki, Greece
8th Global Tape Forum & Global Test Methods Committee Meetings
17-19 November 2026
Hamamatsucho Convention Hall, Tokyo, Japan