tesa SE: Our Responsibility – Our Commitment and Involvement
Report 2008

A vivid tradition of responsibility

UN Photo/Mark Garten

Global Compact

The date: January 31, 2001. The location: the World Economic Forum, in Davos. Then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
calls on companies that operate internationally to take an active stance in meeting the challenges presented by
globalization. His vision: a global pact based on universally accepted social and environmental principles.

Today, companies from more than 80 countries, international
employee associations, civil society organizations, governments,
and United Nations organizations are involved in the Global
Compact. Under the auspices of the new UN Secretary General,
Ban Ki-Moon, the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative ismoving forward.

The ten principles of the UN Global Compact
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; andPrinciple 2: make sure that they are not complicit in humanrights abuses.

The ten principles on which the pact is based, which cover theareas of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and the fight against corruption, have long formed part ofthe corporate values of tesa. Our membership in the Global
Compact underscores this vivid tradition.

Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;

Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsoAll of tesa SE’s activities related to commitment and involvement
are subject to a continuous improvement process. We published
our first Global Compact Report for 2006/2007, and now wehave documented our most recent activities in the current issue,
the Communication on Progress 2008, which highlights ourprogress with regard to the ten principles of the UN Global Compact and our own corporate social responsibility strategy.

ry labour;

Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; andPrinciple 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;

Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; andPrinciple 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its
forms, including extortion and bribery.
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Communication on Progress 2008
As a member of the United Nations Global Compact, we havecommitted to report annually on the progress of our initiatives.
This helps facilitate a regular interchange of information withthose around us and documents our projects aimed at putting
the ten principles of the Global Compact into practice.
The Communication on Progress 2008 provides you with an
overview of our worldwide commitment and involvement in thefields of human rights and labor standards, environmental protection, the fight against corruption, and society. tesa has traditionally pursued a continuous improvement process. With 51
affiliates spread across different countries worldwide, there is alarge number of projects involved. For that reason, this report islimited to a representative selection of initiatives that have been
undertaken for the first time or recently concluded.
In line with the communication channels used by our stakeholders, the Communication on Progress 2008 also marks the switchfrom a printed version to an online one. Beyond the advantage
of better accessibility, an online report also offers opportunities
for active dialogue and regular updates. You can also visit our
Responsibility Web pages on www.tesa.com/responsibility forcomprehensive information on the topics of the environment,
quality, employees, and social matters.

Declaration of Support

Human Rights and Labor Standards

Membership based on firmly held convictions

The human factor

We are firmly convinced that binding values and a sustainablebusiness policy are prerequisites for economic success.
>> page 4

Conduct guidelines and new activities in the areas of fostering
employee qualifications and occupational health and safety leave
their mark on 2008. >> page 5

Environmental Protection

Fighting Corruption

Worldwide initiatives

Proper conduct

At present, tesa is making progress on over 60 environmental
projects. Examples from the areas of energy, solvents, waste,and certification. >> page 10

In our Code of Conduct and Purchasing Charter, we take a clear
stance on the rules of conduct that apply on a binding basis at
tesa. >> page 16

Social Projects
Strategy with regional facets
With its focus on children and young people, our social commitment and involvement is reflected in over 40 projects worldwide.
>> page 173

Declaration of Support“The UN Global Compact corresponds to our own values andthe sustainable business policy implemented by tesa.”
In its role as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of selfadhesive system solutions, tesa offers innovative products forindustry and trade, and for consumers. Each and every one ofthose products was invented to solve a problem. We can now
look back over more than 100 years of history as a brand andextremely successful international development. Many different
people have contributed to this, right up to the present day.
We are firmly convinced that having a business policy that isdesigned for sustainability is an absolute prerequisite for economic success. This idea has been reflected in our values andactions over generations. Our membership in the United Nations
Global Compact underscores this approach and provides a wider framework for our ecological and social activities.
We implement the ten principles of the UN Global Compact in asystematic fashion. Wherever possible, we exert our influence andproactively seek to further promote our binding rules of conduct.
In 2008, we created a firm basis for our values and guidelines by
setting them out in the tesa Code of Conduct and the tesa Purchasing Charter. These two steps have raised our profile as a
responsible “citizen of the world” while at the same time raising ourown expectations – expectations our partners and collaborators
must meet. Along our global value chain, all of the players arecalled upon to do their part to ensure sustainable development.
In our capacity as a technology enterprise that both conducts
research and produces goods, we take our responsibility forensuring a clean, healthy, and undamaged environment very

Thomas Schlegel,
Chief Executive
Officer of tesa SE

seriously. The tesa environmental goals, which apply worldwide,
are aimed at fulfilling this responsibility and thus also form part ofour strategy. Areas of emphasis in this regard include economical consumption of raw materials and energy, prevention of unnecessary waste, and proper recycling. One particular focal
point of our corporate strategy is the development and use ofinnovative, solvent-free production technologies. We alreadymanufacture the majority of our products using methods that arewater-based and therefore more eco-friendly.
The idea of leaving as healthy and undamaged a world as possible behind for future generations is also at the core of our corporate social responsibility strategy. Our focus in this regard lies
on assisting and supporting children and young people. Under
the auspices of a central steering committee, all of the companies in the tesa Group have the opportunity to design their social
involvement in ways that are specifically aligned to regional
needs and concerns – in many cases with volunteer support.
We will continue to act sustainably, following the spirit of the UN
Global Compact, into the future. In times such as these, with adifficult world economic situation, it is all the more important toensure continuity, trust, and a long-term approach.
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Human Rights and Labor Standards
The human factor as a determinant of success
People are the very foundation of our business success – people
like our own employees as well as customers and suppliers. With
this in mind, compliance with and furtherance of international
human rights are just as much a part of our principles as unimpeachable labor standards. This reporting year, we pursued
these principles with initiatives including the internationally appli-

cable tesa Code of Conduct and the introduction of our worldwide tesa Purchasing Charter, which governs our cooperation
with suppliers. In addition, our below-average accident rates,
numerous initiatives aimed at raising employee qualifications, andawards as an employer document our commitment and involvement in 2008.

Code of Conduct

Purchasing Charter

Binding rules of conduct

Standards for strategic purchasing

The tesa Code of Conduct sets out clear conduct guidelines –aligned to our values and the principles of the UN Global Compact. >> page 6

The tesa Purchasing Charter defines our minimum standards,
binding worldwide, for our cooperation with suppliers. >> page 7

Employee Qualification

Occupational Health and Safety Management

Awards as a top employer

Below-average accident figures

Our employees are our most valuable capital. Our corporate
culture and targeted employee support initiatives take this fact
into account. >> page 8

We raised our already stringent worldwide occupational healthand safety standards once again in 2008 and received twoawards. >> page 95Code of Conduct

The tesa Code of Conduct sets out clear conduct guidelines –aligned to our values and the principles of the UN Global Compact.

Binding rules of conduct
Respect, honesty, trust, tolerance, and integrity – these are theprinciples we apply in our business, principles that have not only
made us successful in the past, but will also continue to guideour actions into the future. To put these ideas even more firmly
into practice worldwide, tesa SE established a mandatory codeof conduct in 2008. The conduct guidelines it contains are derived from our corporate values and the ten principles of the UN
Global Compact.
The tesa Code of Conduct applies all around the world. Its clear
rules and criteria help us to create a guiding framework andstrengthen others’ trust in the performance and integrity of thetesa Group. No matter the position or title, we expect all employees to abide by our ethical principles and consistently apply themin everything they do. We demand that our executives not only
demonstrate exemplary compliance with the rules of conduct,
but also ensure at the same time that they are actively communicating the rules to others. All of our executives were required tocomplete an e-learning program on the Code of Conduct andthey will receive further support for the ongoing communication
process; we will provide them with presentations, for instance. In
addition, at the beginning of 2009, the Code of Conduct wasmade an integral component of our introductory seminars for
new employees, training sessions for junior management talent,and our Sales Qualification Program.

The Code of Conduct embodies our most important principles
across six thematic areas:
1. Compliance with laws and regulations
We conduct business legally and ensure strict compliancewith the laws of the countries in which we operate.

2. Fair competition
We do not secure market advantages through unfair or illicit
practices.

3. Protection of tesa assets
We are careful in our dealings with the company’s proprietaryand copyrighted information, assets, and resources.

4. Socially compatible working environment
We ensure a socially compatible, safe, and motivational working environment. We categorically reject all forms of child labor, forced labor, discrimination, and similar practices. And we
expect our business partners to do the same.

5. Personal integrity
We encourage the utmost in personal integrity and fairness
among our employees and avoid situations in which personal
interests conflict, or could conflict, with those of our company.

6. Social commitment and involvement
We take our responsibility toward future generations seriously
and actively work toward sustainable development across all
the relevant sectors – in economic, ecological, and social
terms.

Download „Code of Conduct“

http://www.tesa.com/company/responsibility/global_compact/cop/human_rights/code_of_conduct

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Purchasing Charter

To provide a standardized framework for our internationally applicable core principles,
the Strategic Purchasing division of tesa established the tesa Purchasing Charter.

Minimum standards for strategic purchasing
We at tesa are firmly convinced that sustainable, responsible
corporate conduct must go beyond the individual company itself.
That’s why our internal rules of conduct have long applied to ourcooperation with suppliers around the globe as well. To provide astandardized framework for our internationally applicable core
principles, the Strategic Purchasing division of tesa establishedthe tesa Purchasing Charter during this reporting year. Aligned tothe ten fundamental principles of the UN Global Compact, it
specifies the minimum standards we apply worldwide in the areas of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection,and the fight against corruption. Incorporated into our contract
terms and conditions, they ensure that suppliers make a binding
commitment to operate in accordance with the UN Global Compact.

In our cooperation with suppliers, we put a high priority on acontinuous improvement process that includes jointly established goals and monitoring of the degree to which they are met,
regular site visits, and certification under the ISO 14001 environmental standard and ISO 9001 quality standard. Starting in
2009, we are also supporting compliance with our minimum
standards by implementing our SRM (supplier relationship management) process. Under this process, supplier qualification,
evaluation, and development will follow the same systematic
approach throughout the entire tesa Group – from initial contact
via a questionnaire to in-plant product qualification and finally touniformly designed local audits.

http://www.tesa.com/company/procurement/charta
Download „Purchasing Charter“7Employee Qualification

Our employees are the most important capital for securing our success.
Our corporate culture and targeted employee support initiatives take this fact into account.

Awards as a top employer
All over the world, employee integration and personnel development are among the most important factors contributing to our
success. Because of its excellent ratings in this area, the tesa
plant in Offenburg was named one of the top employers of 2008by the magazine “Junge Karriere,” published by the Handelsblatt
publishing group, and by the consulting firm CRF. This award
rates companies in the categories of compensation, market leadership, work-life balance, job security, development opportunities, and internal climate and culture. Providing important data,facts, and a specific points rating, the ratings give recent graduates and young professionals guidance for their career development.
In 2008, the company also won a comparable title in Switzerland, where Swiss multimedia business magazine “Cash” chosetesa Bandfix AG as one of that country’s top employers. The
outstanding rating, in which the wholly owned subsidiary of tesa
SE ranked sixth out of 81 companies right off the bat, was basedon information from the company’s own employees. They gave
their employer top marks in an extensive survey on organizational
structures, corporate culture, management behavior, goals, performance incentives, and knowledge transfer.

struction. We now offer training in 19 languages and have begun
the international rollout of our uniform global standards. In 2009
we will continue the implementation of this international continuing education program, comprising 14 different training units,
and train additional target groups.
We promote international cooperation between our employees
through continuing education programs such as the Competencies Development Process, which involves a six-month projectcompleted alongside the employee’s regular work. The aim is not
only to have employees work conceptually on a specific focus
project, but also to ensure the personal development of participants, who are required to have three to five years’ management
experience. With support from an external coach, they are able
to gain new perspectives outside of their own day-to-day working lives. Self-organization and international teamwork are among
the particular skills participants learn. In 2008, one team focusedon the Eastern European market and its potential prospects for
tesa scribos. The wholly owned tesa subsidiary offers effective
security solutions to protect brand names and products fromtampering and counterfeiting.

In the 2008 reporting year, we continued to expand our extensive
range of continuing education measures. As part of the Sales
Qualification Program, which was instituted the year before andis aimed at about 1,500 marketing and sales employees, wewere able to train about 800 participants over 320 days of in8

Occupational Health and Safety

We raised our already stringent worldwide occupational health and safety standards
once again in 2008 and received two awards.

Below-average accident figures
Prevention is the best form of protection from injuries and jobrelated health risks. Our extraordinarily low accident rates demonstrate that we are on the right track with our occupational
health and safety initiatives and training measures at all of theplants. In 2008, this was reflected in factors that included twoawards from the Occupational Health and Safety Office of theCity of Hamburg: The agency gave both the tesa plant in Hamburg and tesa affiliate acos GmbH its highest rating, “company
with an exemplary occupational health and safety system.” Ourestablishment of concrete goals, below-average rate of accidents, and recording and assessment of even accidents that are
not required to be reported as well as the extensive programs inplace to promote health at the workplace weighed particularly in
our favor.
All around the world, tesa is subject to our Occupational Safety
Guidelines, which are aligned to the international OHSAS 18001
standard. Regular employee training on conduct that is conducive to safety and health, prevention of explosions and fires, fire
extinguishing drills, detailed operating procedures for all production facilities, and targeted employee training have ensured thatthe number of days of work missed due to occupational accidents subject to mandatory reporting fell once again in 2008.
Since 2005, tesa has achieved an overall reduction averaging 11
percent worldwide.

At tesa, systematic identification and assessment of risks associated with potential hazards forms the cornerstone of our ability topreclude faults, mistakes, and improper conduct in advance
wherever possible. In this context, in 2008 we were able to conclude the worldwide implementation of our top principle – ananalysis tool used to determine the causes of problems in three
categories: technical, organizational, and personal. And to further promote occupational health and safety on an international
level, we have also incorporated this topic into a regular exchange of information and experience between all of the technical executives at our affiliates.
In 2009 as well, we plan to further expand on our occupational
health and safety system. For example, we will be introducing
uniform processes for project planning of new systems and facilities. The aim of this initiative is to take precautionary measures toprevent potential hazards early on, even during the planning andconstruction phase.

9Environmental Protection
Worldwide initiatives
Leaving a clean, healthy, and undamaged environment behind for
subsequent generations is one of tesa’s stated corporate goals.
In pursuing this aim, we take a precautionary approach, promoting the international exchange of information between our environmental experts and actively taking the initiative in pushingappropriate measures forward. This approach ranges from continuous monitoring of specific key indicators such as waste, CO2
emissions, and energy use to developing our own technologies
for solvent-free production. We also work specifically on productsthat help our customers – to save energy, for example – andmake sure that our suppliers apply comparable standards.
In total, our environmental commitment and involvement encompasses more than 60 individual projects. By way of example, thesection that follows cites some of our initiatives in the fields ofenergy, solvent-free technologies, waste, and certification. For
more information on our environmental program and the pertinent guidelines and goals, please visit Responsibility/Environment. The content there also offers a look at our worldwide business processes as specified in the tesa Integrated Management
System (IMS).

Environmental Goals 2007 – 2012

EnergyInternational activities

Heat recovery drives down demand

Clearly formulated goals are the key to our ambitious environmental program, which encompasses projects spanning theentire globe. >> page 11

Exemplary projects in Offenburg and Hamburg ensure reduced
energy use and CO2 emissions. >> page 12

Reduced Solvent Use

Waste Management

Innovative technologies

Raising awareness

Our R&D-team uses innovative technologies to establish lowerimpact production processes that do not use solvents.
>> page 13

tesa reinforces its efforts to reduce waste and ensure proper
recycling through initiatives aimed at raising awareness.
>> page 14

Certification
Environmental management system expandedHigh standards at our locations in China and Singapore impressed auditors during the process of obtaining certification
under the ISO 14001:2004 environmental standard. >> page 15
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Environmental Goals: 2007 through 2012

Clearly formulated goals are the key to our ambitious environmental program,which encompasses projects spanning the entire globe.

International activities
After the successful conclusion of our first environmental program, which ran from 2001 through 2006, we have once again
set ambitious, binding goals for ourselves for the next five-year
period. The degree to which we meet these internationally applicable environmental goals is determined through a global monitoring program based in each case on constant production
quantities. Now, for the first time, our environmental goals for theperiod from 2007 through 2012 also include emissions of volatileorganic compounds (VOCs). Over the past two years, we havebeen able to reduce these emissions by 22 percent, thus alreadyexceeding our intermediate goal for 2008. The same also applies
to our use of solvents and energy: we have achieved a drop ofseven percent in both. We also posted a six-percent decrease inCO2 emissions for 2008.

Environmental goals 2007 through 2012
VOC Emission- 50 %

Solvents used

- 15 %

Energy consumed- 10 %Waste-5%

CO2 Europe- 10 %

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Energy

Exemplary projects in Offenburg and Hamburg ensure reduced
energy use and CO2 emissions.

Heat recovery drives down demand
One good example of our activities aimed at reducing our energy
consumption is the implementation of a new heat recovery system at the tesa plant in Offenburg. At that facility, all central heating units are connected via a feed and return line, along withcirculation pumps, so that waste heat generated during processes can be recovered and used for heating purposes. A central control unit ensures that the available energy is automatically
fed into circulation.
At the tesa plant in Offenburg, replacing the energy used forheating by recirculating waste heat generated during processes
led to a drop of 9,000 megawatt-hours in 2008. As a result,emissions of harmful CO2 also fell, by nearly 2,300 metric tons. In
the long term, the company hopes to use the positive experience
the tesa plant in Offenburg is currently gaining with the new heatrecovery system to deploy this landmark technology at otherlocations as well.

Another system for saving energy through heat recovery was
also put into operation at one of the production buildings at thetesa plant in Hamburg, where a reduction of 200 megawatthours was achieved. The Hamburg location also secured additional energy savings by modernizing a polymerization facility
used to produce adhesive masses. A ventilation system used inthis facility, which had been optimized the year before, showed
its first effects in 2008, successfully pushing energy use down by
480 megawatt-hours. Our plans call for us to build further onthese positive results in 2009: By modernizing another ventilation
system, we hope to decrease our energy consumption by anadditional 500 megawatt-hours.

12Reduced Solvent Use

Our research and development team uses innovative technologies toestablish lower-impact production processes that do not use solvents.

Environmentally friendly technologies
Part of our continuous improvement process, and an essential
component of the tesa environmental program, is our consistent
shift toward environmentally friendly production technologies.
Since the first large-scale system for solvent-free coating was put
into operation at the tesa plant in Offenburg in 2002, we havebeen determinedly expanding on this technology, which wasdeveloped and patented by tesa. For instance, our Center for
Research & Development in Hamburg is tasked both with improving existing solutions and with working on additional innovativetechnologies – including in areas in which solvent-free production
is not yet possible.

In the case of products that for technical reasons cannot yet beproduced without solvents, we are pursuing the principle of environmentally compatible production through our use of solvent
recovery systems. One example of this is the system in Malaysia,
which we have further optimized since it first came online twoyears ago. After the improved system was installed, 2008 saw
the amount of solvents recovered and fully recycled rise to 70
percent. At the same time, implementation of this process has
led to a considerable drop in VOC emissions.

The tesa plants in Offenburg, Italy, and Malaysia have produced
the majority of their products without using solvents for several
years now. In 2007, we began shifting production of our products
to the new, solvent-free technology in Suzhou, China, as well. By
2008 we had already been able to raise the percentage of waterbased adhesives at this location to 43 percent. This figure is currently 57 percent in Malaysia, 63 in Italy, and 65 percent at theGerman plant in Offenburg.

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Waste Managementtesa reinforces its efforts to reduce waste and ensure proper recycling
through initiatives aimed at raising awareness.

Raising awarenessProducing goods of any kind necessarily involves generating
waste. When it comes to reducing the quantity of waste generated and protecting both the environment and natural resources,
we believe that raising general awareness of the problem is tremendously important. At some of our locations, the high importance of this topic is reflected in the fact that the indicator ofwaste quantities is even included in the personal targets set for
the responsible employees to meet. This ensures that whenproblems occur, all of the relevant departments are involved in
the resolution process, which raises each and every person’s
awareness of the issue. Beyond that, we are always looking for
new technical solutions that enable us to recycle as much as
possible.

Around the world, we offer regular training courses to make surethat everyone involved becomes aware of how to prevent unnecessary waste and how to recycle properly. In 2008, for example,
we successfully held training seminars on recycling for all machine operators at our location in Italy and equipped all machineswith system-specific guidelines. We plan to make further
progress in implementing our concept for actively raising awareness of these issues at an international level, and take the next
steps in further developing it, in 2009 as well.

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Certification

High standards at our locations in China and Singapore impressed auditors during the processof obtaining certification under the ISO 14001:2004 environmental standard.

Environmental management system expanded
The certifications obtained by our Asian locations in China andSingapore in 2008 marked the further expansion of our environmental management system. Now all tesa plants are certified
under the ISO 14001:2004 standard, which sets globally recognized requirements for environmental management systems.
Based on the principle of continuous improvement, this standard
follows the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle – a concept thatapplies internationally at tesa.
The tesa plant in Suzhou, which opened in 2005, won approval
across the board during the certification process. The auditors
especially highlighted the excellent teamwork at the plant as wellas employees’ broad knowledge and high awareness with respect to environmentally relevant processes. The human re-sources department’s strong commitment to, and high involvement in, environmental activities, team-building, and team training as well as in clearly designating the environmental officers to
the authorities also weighed in our favor, as did the internal audits that are performed.
The production site in Singapore also presented an exemplary
environmental management system. The plant scored points
especially for its unambiguous identification of all environmentally
relevant aspects and environmental impacts of individual processes conducted there.

15

Fighting Corruption

In our Code of Conduct and Purchasing Charter, we take a clear stanceon the rules of conduct that apply on a binding basis at tesa.

Integrity and proper conduct
Integrity and responsibility are vital and essential components of
our actions. We conduct our business as a company in strict
compliance with laws and regulations. All around the world, thetesa Group categorically rejects all forms of corruption and of
unlawful or immoral conduct. This applies equally to our own
actions and to those of our suppliers. This reporting year, we
defined the standards that apply to our cooperation with partners in our new tesa Purchasing Charter.

Companies that conduct business worldwide have to rely tosome degree on the sense of responsibility on the part of otherparties, including our stakeholders. We offer our employees thebest possible support to ensure that they are able to act in accordance with the values and standards of tesa. The Code of
Conduct implemented in 2008 serves as a framework in thisregard, setting out specific points to observe. Its content provides clear guidance and fosters both integrity and responsible
conduct. And if questions arise in individual cases, the Compliance Manager is available to act in an advisory capacity.

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Social Projects
Strategy with regional facets
In 2008, a number of new projects embodied the extensive social
commitment and involvement of tesa SE and its affiliates. These
new projects are in line with our Corporate Giving Strategy, which
we first formulated the year before and, in this reporting year, also
incorporated into our new tesa Code of Conduct. The Corporate
Giving Strategy specifies the topics on which our activities focus
while also giving our affiliates the ability to adjust their approaches regionally according to local circumstances. On the whole, we
set great store by long-term initiatives that demonstrate sustained
effectiveness and are aligned to the specific conditions and situations that apply in the region.
Our commitment and involvement focusing on children andyoung people encompasses four main areas. Alongside fostering
creativity, promoting education, and developing future talent inscience and technology, these main areas also include providing

Promoting Creativity

support to institutions that assist sick and socially disadvantaged
children.
In our most recent activities, we have focused in particular on
volunteerism among tesa employees. Examples of this concept
of “corporate volunteering” include our support for the Hamburgbased foundation “MENTOR – die Leselernhelfer Hamburg e.V.”
and the assistance provided to the Suzhou Sunshine School, in
China, for children from families of migrant workers.
We have raised the total number of our social projects over theprevious year from 26 to 43. We would like to present a few ofthese projects, which span all the fields in which we are active,
as examples. For information on further activities, please visit
Responsibility/Society.

Promoting Education

Multifaceted commitment

Improving educational opportunities“Tesalino & Tesalina,” “Stiftung Mittagskinder”, and “MENTOR– die Leselernhelfer Hamburg e.V.” are all involved in fosteringchildren’s creativity. >> page 18

Educating children and young people is part of our corporate
giving strategy. Examples from China, Malaysia, and Mexico.
>> page 19

Promoting the next generation in scienceand technology

Supporting institutions that aid sickor socially disadvantaged children

Early specialization

Improving opportunities

In our role as a technology company, we are committed to training future talent, and we support specific educational institutions.
>> page 20

With scholarships, sponsorships, and volunteer work, we arecommitted to helping disadvantaged children and young people.
>> page 21
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Fostering Creativity“Tesalino & Tesalina,” “Stiftung Mittagskinder”, and “MENTOR – die Leselernhelfer
Hamburg e.V.” are all involved in fostering children’s creativity.
Germany
Tesalino & Tesalina visit the rainforest andcampaign on its behalf
In 2008, the two adhesive friends Tesalino & Tesalina inspired
58,000 children to write stories and do arts and crafts projects.
For the ninth time in a row, we teamed with Stiftung Lesen (theReading Foundation) in inviting a large number of elementary
schools to participate in a countrywide creativity competition
aimed at furthering reading and writing skills and sparking children’s imaginations. From January through April, about 2,300
participating classes followed Tesalino and Tesalina on an imaginary journey of discovery to the tropical rainforest. The speciesrich world of plants and animals found there offered a wealth of
inspiration for the children’s projects, as did the hot topics ofnature conservation and climate change. In a fitting complement
to these topics, tesa linked the competition to support for a reforestation project organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in
Borneo. Donations added 5,000 new trees to the forest there.

Circus fever bonds children together
About 120 socially disadvantaged children in Hamburg receive
free, regular healthy meals, help with homework, and competentsocial and educational care from the nonprofit „Stiftung Mittagskinder“ foundation. With support from the tesa plant in Hamburg,a large number of them were able to discover a whole new sideof themselves during the 2008 summer vacation: For one week,
the children attended a very special school, where they honed
their previously unknown talents at juggling, doing magic tricks,
and riding a unicycle. With assistance from the coaches at Circus

Mignon, they even got to hold a performance under the big top
to cap off the week, each of them fulfilling his or her dream of
becoming a star in the ring. And the program taught the children,
aged five to eleven, more than just a circus trick: They used alltheir senses, gained a sense of belonging to a group, and learned
to have confidence in themselves and others. After all, there area lot of tricks that only work if you can depend on others.

Reading makes children smart – and happy
Children love books. Supposedly, anyway. But to most boys andgirls who have a hard time reading, the world of stories remains ahidden one. And however great a loss that seems, it pales bycomparison to the disadvantages that those who have difficulty
reading suffer at school and on the job. For nine years now, tesa
has championed the cause of enabling schoolchildren to attainthe gold standard in education as part of the company’s corporate giving strategy. Our longstanding involvement with StiftungLesen (the Reading Foundation) was joined in 2008 by our support for „MENTOR – die Leselernhelfer Hamburg e.V.“. Along withthe company’s funding for “mentor-student tandems,” tesa employees are encouraged to get involved themselves as active
reading tutors. There are a few requirements: love of books,
reading, and reading aloud, and a desire to pass along theirknowledge and enthusiasm for books to children aged eight to16, for one hour a week – without pressure, and without talking
down to the students or lecturing them. tesa also allows employees to use part of their work time for volunteering.

18

Promoting Education

Improving educational opportunities – Educating children and young people is partof our corporate giving strategy. Examples from China, Malaysia, and Mexico.
China
Schooling for children of migrant workers
According to estimates, between 150 and 200 million migrant
workers in China have moved from rural regions to the booming
cities and coastal regions in recent years. For children who belong to these families, there is hardly any opportunity to complete
a continuous education. To improve their prospects, employeesof the tesa plant in Suzhou got involved in assisting the neighboring Suzhou Sunshine School in 2008. Scholarships and assistance with instruction are intended to provide help where it isneeded, emphasizes Plant Manager See Thai Ang: “Our hope isthat we can help ease the way for these children and enable
them to have a successful future.” At the same time, a team of
employees provides active, regular support by organizing charity
auctions and ongoing events such as shared learning and byarranging recreational activities.

Malaysia
Early computer skills

computer skills. In addition, the youngest ones also look forward
to playing and reading together.

MexicoScholarship program for disadvantaged children
The tesa affiliate in Mexico joined the team of supporters contributing to the Foundation for the Protection of Children (Fundaciónpara la Protección de la Niñez) in 2008. Together with its sponsors, the private institution has been able to help more than
100,000 disadvantaged children throughout the country in recent
years. The Foundation focuses on health, fighting poverty, culture, and education. tesa Mexico is contributing by endowing its
own scholarship program and by ensuring that a number of children in Mexico City receive the necessary learning materials aswell as school uniforms and school meals. By doing so, the tesa
affiliate is supporting the children during the phase of their lives
when they are developing their own sense of self and self-confidence.

Since the beginning of 2008, the Malaysian tesa affiliate has
been supporting the nearby Shepherd’s Centre, a home thatcares for orphaned, neglected, and needy children, teens, andyoung adults ranging in age from three to 22 years. Focusing on
education and development, the tesa employees foster important computer skills in particular. tesa provided the boys and girls
with ten modern computers in a room specially renovated for thispurpose. And the support for the care home is set up as a longterm arrangement. tesa employees will continue to volunteer andhelp the children and youths once a week in developing their19

Developing Future Talent in Science and Technology

Early specialization – In our role as a technology company, we are committed to training
future talent, and we support specific educational institutions.
BrazilExpertise for professional practiceIn 2008, tesa Brazil and the Escola Theobaldo de Nigris (SENAI)
further expanded on the partnership they had started the year
before. New on the class schedule at the school of graphics anddesign, one of the best known worldwide in this industry: training
courses for the paper industry. For example, in August and September 2008, tesa employees offered the teaching units “Cellulose and Paper Technology” and “Processes Used in Paper Production” for the first time. In further practical and theoreticalcourses, students also acquire important knowledge about adhesive tapes for the printing market. In addition, tesa provides
printing plate mounting tapes and organizes extracurricular
events and programs such as visits to companies. Thus tesa
Brazil often facilitates the initial contact between students andthe paper industry.

Germany
Active promotion of junior management talenttesa SE remained an active supporter of the Northern Institute ofTechnology (NIT) in 2008. In a two-year dual-track graduate program, students at NIT can earn the degrees of MBA in Technology Management and Master of Science at the same time. Eachstudent in this internationally oriented curriculum is required tohave perfect English skills as well as a previous engineering degree and initial professional experience. tesa supports the NIT byawarding scholarships and by providing practical instruction
units and internships as well as assigning topics for degree theses. In addition, one tesa HR manager is actively participating in

the NIT industry advisory board, thereby promoting targetedcooperation between academic institutions and the industrial
sector. And depending on current vacancies, graduates also
have the opportunity to start an international career at tesa.

Switzerland
Promotion of training and continuing education at tesa Bandfix
AG
As one of the currently 17 members of the “Sponsorengruppe fürdie Weiterbildung im Maler- und Gipsgewerbe” (Sponsor Group
for Continuing Education in the Painting and Plastering Trades),tesa Bandfix AG supports selected schools and workshops in
Switzerland. The association, which was founded back in 2000,
focuses on providing ideas and funding to support specificcourse programs aimed primarily at foremen and certified mastercraftsmen in the trades of painting and plastering. In addition,tesa Bandfix AG expanded its commitment to training paintersand flexo print specialists in 2008. In various cities in Switzerland,a tesa employee volunteers to provide instruction on topics suchas adhesive technology and applications engineering or the theory and practice of mounting printing plates.

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Support for Institutions for Sick andSocially Disadvantaged Children

Improving opportunities – With scholarships, sponsorships, and volunteer work, weare committed to helping disadvantaged children and young people.
Colombia
Sponsorships for socially disadvantaged children

China
Sponsorships and volunteeringChildren with developmental disorders, especially autism, receive
therapeutic care at the Centro Internacional De Investigación
Clínico-Psicológico Maria Eugenia Colmenares which is fundedsolely by private sources. Through targeted sponsorships, tesa
Colombia supports those children whose parents cannot afford
the fees on their own. The goal of the center is to provide thechildren, who range in age from three months to 12 years, withclear guidance, focusing on developing their abilities to learnautonomously, play with peers, and deal with fears and aggression. Within just a few years, this approach is intended to help
children stabilize their personalities to such an extent that they
can attend conventional schooling and get by in everyday life.

At the Shanghai Children’s Welfare House, sick and disabledorphans find a new home. tesa Shanghai maintains sponsorships for ten of these children. tesa employees’ commitment to
the facility also includes a volunteering program. The program
involves regular visits to the facility that focus on shared play,singing, and reading with the children. Employees also use
events such as tesa family days and Christmas parties to brighten the boys and girls’ everyday lives, including by collecting
monetary donations, toys, clothing, and books.

Contact:
tesa SE
Quickbornstraße 24
D-20253 Hamburg
Tel.: +49(0) 40-4909-6597
Fax: +49(0) 40-4909-2236
responsibility@tesa.com
ww.tesa.com/company/responsibility
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