PROGRAMME
11th Afera Technical Seminar
"Navigating the Future of Adhesive Tapes:
Transforming Challenges into Opportunities"
The provisional programme can be found below. Please check regularly for updates.
The Afera European Tape Week 2025 will kick off with the 11th Technical Seminar. The seminar programme on Wednesday afternoon will be a joint session with the start of the Annual Conference, which can be attended by both seminar and conference delegates. On Monday, September 22nd, we start with the Committee Meetings (for committee members only).
Monday, 22 September 2025
12.00 - 19.00
09.00 - 12.30
Check-in at Afera registration desk - Hotel Lobby
Afera Technical Committee Meeting - Room: Ephesus II+III
Afera Marketing Committee Meeting - Room: Epidaurus I
12.30 - 14.00
Luncheon for TC + MKC + SC Members - Prefunction Area
14.00 - 17.30
Afera Steering Committee Meeting – Room: Epidaurus I
19.00 - 21.00
Opening dinner Technical Seminar
An informal networking dinner at the restaurant veranda, exclusively for Technical Seminar attendees and all Committee Members.
Tuesday, 23 September 2025
09.00 - 19.00
Check-in at Afera registration desk - Hotel Lobby
Conference Room - Grand Ballroom
Session 1: New PSA Chemistries
Session chair:
09.00 - 09.10
Opening remarks by the TechSem Chair
Reinhard Storbeck, Director of R&D at tesa SE (Germany) / Afera Technical Committee Chair
09.10 - 09.30
Intrinsically flame-retardant polymers
Anita Barni, Sustainability & Innovation Director, ICAP-SIRA Chemicals and Polymers SpA (Italy) / Afera Marketing Committee Member
09.30 - 09.50
LED UV-curable acrylics / hotmelt PSA
Moritz Arnold, PD Chemist for Acrylic UV HM PSAs at Henkel (Germany)
09.50 - 10.10
LED bulbs for curing of PSA
Petra Burger, Sales Representative at Dr Hönle AG (Germany)
10.10 - 10.40
Networking break - Prefunction Area
10.40 - 11.00
New high-performance acrylic dispersions
Speaker TBA, BASF (Germany)
11.00 - 11.20
Microcapsulation for raw materials
Speaker TBA, CALYXIA (France)
11.20 - 11.40
Faster drying of water-based PSAs for specialty tapes: Improving drying behaviour by polymer design
Dr. Christoph Scholten, Principal Scientist - Application Development, Adhesives at Synthomer (Germany) / Afera Technical Committee Member
Fast-drying water-based adhesives reduce energy consumption and production time, enhancing sustainability and productivity. Lab simulations offer rapid measurements and replicate industrial drying processes for PSA production. The innovative design of polymer materials further optimizes these processes while maintaining adhesive properties and regulatory compliance.
11.40 - 12.25
Panel discussion with speakers and audience Q&A
12.30 - 13.30
Business Luncheon - Prefunction Area
Session 2: New Perspectives
Session chair:
13.30 - 13.50
General update on the latest developments
Speaker TBA, Lawter (Belgium)
13.50 - 14.10
Biodegradable polymers: Recent advances in sustainability of acrylic dispersions for PSAs
Prof. Nicholas Ballard, Research Associate at Polymat-University of the Basque Country (Spain)
The push for sustainability in pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) has led to extensive research into alternatives to the petrochemical-based, non-degradable polymers that currently serve as the foundation of most acrylic PSAs.1 This presentation explores recent innovations in degradable PSAs that have the potential to improve the sustainability of current adhesive technologies. The main focus of the talk will be on how labile bonds can be incorporated into the polymer backbone and crosslinking points.2 It will be shown that depending on the type of chemistry and the macromolecular structure, degradable bonds can either lead to fragmentation of the polymer or can simply lead to a shift in the adhesive properties of the PSAs to aid in recycling processes.3,4 Finally, the possibilities for incorporating such technologies into existing PSA products will also be discussed.
14.10 - 14.30
Automatisation in the lab
Sascha Meudt, Zwick (Germany)
14.30 - 15.00
Networking break - Prefunction Area
15.00 - 15.20
Combining machine learning with AI to achieve faster development of PSAs
Speaker TBA, Citrine Informatics (United Kingdom)
15.20 - 15.40
AI learning for adhesives and coatings
Mathias Huck, Head of Department at ai-predict GmbH (Germany)
15.40 - 16.00
AI tool for quicker development projects, including adhesives use cases
Sarah Najmark, Co-founder and CEO at Osium AI (YC S23) (France)
16.00 - 16.45
Panel discussion with speakers and audience Q&A
18.00 - 19.30
Cocktail reception
with hors-d'œuvres – Oceana Poolside Restaurant at Hotel
19.30 -
Free evening - Selection of restaurants available
Wednesday, 24 September 2025
09.00 - 19.00
Check-in at Afera registration desk – Hotel Lobby
Session 3: New Production Technologies
Session chair:
09.00 - 09.20
UV hot melt coating: An exciting technology, integrated
Tim Self, Director at TS Converting Equipment Ltd. / Elite Cameron (United Kingdom)
09.20 - 09.40
Update on latest developments
Speaker TBA, JHT GmbH (Germany)
09.40 - 10.00
Double-sided simultaneous coating station for silicone application
Konstantin Martynov, Sales Engineer at Kroenert GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
10.00 - 10.30
Networking break - Prefunction Area
10.30 - 10.50
Proof of concept: How pyrolysis can be applied to the adhesive tapes industry, its role in sustainability, and limitations and opportunities
Marco Karber, CEO and Founder of AES Autonome Energiesysteme GmbH (Germany)
10.50 - 11.10
Recyclable, repulpable and green solutions: Sustainability is not only a PCF value
Ian Grace, Technical Sales Manager at artimelt (Switzerland) / Afera Technical Committee Member
11.10 - 11.30
TBD
11.30 - 12.15
Panel discussion with speakers and audience Q&A
12.30 - 13.30
Business luncheon: Opening luncheon of 68th Afera Annual Conference - Prefunction Area
Conference Room - Grand Ballroom
Joint Session of TechSem and Annual Conference:
Sustainability and Regulation
Session chair:
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, Loparex / Afera Marketing Committee Chair
Brenden Drijgers, Marketing Manager, Kraton Corporation / 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
Adhesive tapes regulation in Europe / Afera Regulatory Working Group report
Pablo Englebienne, Regulatory Affairs and Sustainability Manager at Afera (The Netherlands)
15.15 - 15.45
Networking break - Prefunction Area
15.45 - 16.00
Demonstrating TACK, Afera's newly launched product carbon footprint (PCF) calculation tool for adhesive tapes exclusively to Afera Members: Key aspects and future development
Margarida Gama, Senior Consulting Manager – Sphera (Germany)
16.00 - 16.30
Afera’s Flagship Sustainability Programme: Key learnings and updates on driving sustainability in the adhesive tapes business
Pablo Englebienne, Regulatory Affairs and Sustainability Manager at Afera (The Netherlands)
16.30 - 17.15
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)