PROGRAMME
68th Annual Conference
"Navigating the Future of Adhesive Tapes:
Transforming Challenges into Opportunities"
The provisional programme can be found below. Please check regularly for updates.
The second event of Afera European Tape Week 2025 is the 68th Annual Conference. The programme begins on Wednesday afternoon with a joint session alongside the Technical Seminar, open to both seminar and conference delegates.
Conference Room - Grand Ballroom
Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Joint Session of TechSem and Annual Conference:
Sustainability and Regulation
Session chair: Ian Grace
13.30 - 13.35
President’s welcome / Opening of 68th Annual Conference
Evert Smit, Afera President
13.35 - 13.40
Setting the stage by Conference hosts
Sonja Haug, Global ESG, Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Loparex (Germany)/ Afera Marketing Committee Chair
Brenden Drijgers, Marketing Manager at Kraton Corporation (The Netherlands) / Afera Marketing Committee Member
13.40 - 14.20
Keynote: Chemicals and sustainability: Why is it so hard to do the right thing?
Denis Hicks, Founding Board Member at Triple Helix Group (Belgium)
14.20 - 14.45
The adhesive tape industry and the doughnut economy, CSRD and quadruple bottom line, incl. a report on PSTC's Tape Week
Evert Smit, Director Scouting for Sustainability, Technology & Innovation at Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) / Afera President
14.45 - 15.15
The Digital Passport and consequences for the tape industry
Dr. Martin Klatt, Head of Product Stewardship Dispersions and Resins – Global Substance and REACH Co-ordinator at BASF (Germany)
15.15 - 15.45
Networking break - Prefunction Area
15.45 - 16.10
Afera’s Flagship Sustainability Programme (AFSP): Key learnings and updates on driving sustainability in the adhesive tapes business
Karla Pastor, Sustainability Project Manager at Afera (The Netherlands)
16.10 - 16.35
Adhesive tapes regulation in Europe: Afera Regulatory Working Group report on Afera’s latest actions and upcoming topics
Pablo Englebienne, Regulatory Affairs and Sustainability Manager at Afera (The Netherlands)
16.35 - 17.00
The E.U. Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and its implications for the European adhesive tape industry
Speaker TBA – European Commission (Belgium)
17.00 - 17.45
Panel discussion with speakers and audience Q&A
19.00 - 23.00
Welcome cocktails & dinner - Cocktails & Dinner: Oceana Poolside Restaurant at hotel (dress code: smart casual)
Thursday, 25 September 2025
Risk Management & the Global Economy
09.00 - 09.05
Setting the stage by Conference hosts
09.05 - 09.35
The global economic outlook: How will Europe do?
Andrea Boltho, Since 2007 Emeritus Fellow / Director of Economics at University of Oxford (United Kingdom)
09.35 - 10.05
The Trump regime’s economic and public policy implications for the U.S. and Europe’s adhesives industries
Bill Allmond, President of The Adhesive & Sealant Council (ASC) (U.S.)
10.05 - 10.30
The financial impact of sustainability within the chemicals industry
Speaker TBC, PWC (Greece)
10.30 - 10.55
Networking break - Prefunction Area
10.55 - 11.20
Thriving in a time of turbulence as a larger multinational player in the adhesive tapes value chain
Sam Strijckmans, CEO of Nitto EMEA and Executive Vice President of Nitto Denko Corporation (Belgium)
11.20 - 11.45
The pricing of raw materials: Renewable materials and their effect on future-proofing adhesive tapes
Jan Noordegraaf, Managing Director of Innograaf BV (The Netherlands)
11.45 - 12.10
Change management in a VUCA world: Building scenarios and utilising other decision-making tools for successfully leading necessary transition from a human point of view
Waltraud Gläser, Organisational Consultant, Change Manager, Moderator, Sparring Partner for Decision-Makers (Germany)
12.10 - 12.40
Panel discussion with speakers and audience Q&A
12.40 - 13.40
Business Luncheon - Prefunction Area
Industry Innovation & Market Development
13.40 - 13.45
Setting the stage by Conference hosts
13.45 - 14.10
Harnessing AI for smarter decision-making in the adhesive tapes industry
Sarah Najmark, Co-founder and CEO of Osium AI (YC S23) (France)
14.10 - 14.35
Futureproofing the adhesive tapes industry: Afera’s strategy updated for 2025-2030
Melanie Ott, CEO of artimelt AG (Switzerland)
14.35 - 15.00
Family-owned SME commodity tapes manufacturers facing the European market: Opportunities and challenges
Carlo Maria Righetti, CEO of NAR (Italy)
15.00 - 15.30
Networking break - Prefunction Area
15.30 - 15.55
Raw materials for the adhesives industry: Trends and challenges in 2025 and beyond
Dirk Weckesser, Senior Manager Scenario Planning & Strategic Projects, Polymers, at Wacker Chemie AG (Germany)
15.55 - 16.20
Acrylic monomers used in SBPSA, WBPSA and UVPSA: The global situation of monomers, including geopolitical evolution and energy cost differences among the regions, and sustainability (biobased and bio-attributed monomers)
Pierre Larnicol, Global Marketing Director at Arkema (France)
16.20 - 16.45
Adhesive tapes in domestic appliances, electronics, automotive or construction: Market trends, challenges and opportunities
Speaker TBD
16.45 - 17.15
Panel discussion with speakers and audience Q&A
19.00 - 23.00
Drinks and dinner at Mistral Seaside Bar & Restaurant
Meet in hotel lobby at 19.00 for group departure by bus (dress code: smart casual)
Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Tape Applications & Technology Highlights
09.00 - 09.05
Setting the stage by Conference hosts
09.05 - 09.30
The evolving landscape of battery technology and its impact on sustainable mobility, including regulatory shifts and customer-centric ESG approaches
Keon Woo Lee, Senior Manager PD Battery Solutions at Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Germany)
09.30 - 09.55
Global battery value chain overview: Trends and insights
Anthony Bonnet, Scientific Director of Materials for Energy at Arkema (France)
09.55 - 10.20
Revolutionising the tape industry with innovative adhesive solutions: How adhesives are transforming the tapes industry
Jeff Burrington, Senior Application Specialist at H.B. Fuller (U.K.) and Anna Zieba, Global Marketing Manager at H.B. Fuller (U.S.)
10.20 - 10.50
Networking break - Prefunction Area
10.50 - 11.15
Packaging adhesive tapes: Emerging trends, the green transition and related opportunities
Dr. Tobias Winkler, Laboratory Manager Packaging, Masking & Repairing Solutions at tesa SE (Germany)
11.15 - 11.35
Global and European market data report update: AWA’s Global specialty pressure sensitive tapes market 2025 plus trends and other insights
Corey Reardon, President & CEO, and Ephraim Angelo Reyes, Consultant, both at AWA Alexander Watson Associates (The Netherlands)
11.35 - 12.00
Global and European market data: Freedonia Global Pressure Sensitive Tapes 2025 industry report
Brenden Drijgers, Marketing Manager at Kraton Corporation (The Netherlands) / Afera Marketing Committee Member, Prepared with Freedonia (U.S.)
12.00 - 12.30
Panel discussion with speakers and audience Q&A
12.45 - 14.15
Closing business luncheon - Prefunction Area
12.30 - 12.40
Putting the 2025 Annual Conference and European adhesive tape business into perspective
Evert Smit, Afera President
12.40 - 12.45
Wrap-up by Conference hosts: Key themes and learnings