Afera and FEICA to step up collaboration

FEICA (the European voice of the adhesive and sealant industry) and Afera (The European Adhesive Tape Association) intend to work more closely on pertinent topics, such as the European Green Deal and other regulatory affairs, for the benefit of the entire industry.

Both associations’ continued commitment to their respective industries is the ideal starting point to communicate more closely on overlapping topics and continually evolving European chemical and environmental legislation. Afera Regulatory Affairs Manager Pablo Englebienne and FEICA Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs Jana Cohrs will strengthen their existing collaboration through information exchange and industry mobilisation. Afera Secretary General Astrid Lejeune and FEICA Secretary General Kristel Ons have formalised this commitment to ensure that both associations, as well as their membership and industry, can benefit from the increased collaboration with immediate effect.

"One of our current strategic goals is teaming up with associations in adjacent technologies for additional learning and support where possible,” commented Ms Lejeune. "We have long valued our European ties with FEICA and look forward to deepening our relationship further in a flexible, informal manner.”

"The reinforcement of our co-operation fits perfectly with FEICA’s strategy on all fronts,” Ms Ons added. "The objective is to deliver more value to our members and meet the challenges posed by today’s dynamic business environment.”

"I am grateful that we all recognise that major topics like sustainability and the cyclical economy have to be addressed together, by the joining of forces along the entire value chain,” added Afera President Evert Smit, who is also Director Scouting at Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG. This was reiterated by FEICA President Roland Albers (Bostik B.V. Senior Vice President GBU C&C) who expressed that co-operating collectively as associations on these specific topics will be beneficial in efficiency and effectiveness.

Likewise, Afera Sustainability Working Group Chairman Martijn Verhagen, who is also Principal Scientist at Lohmann, said: "I am looking forward to this co-operation as I think it is necessary that various trade organisations work together more closely to tackle important issues on the horizon, such as the European Green Deal. Furthermore, FEICA has already implemented important tools linked to sustainability that I think we can learn and benefit from as an organisation.” Ms Cohrs also commented, "There are indeed many areas in which we can work together to achieve our common objectives, particularly with respect to the circular economy.”

Afera Regulatory Affairs Manager Pablo Englebienne remarked that "the pressure from policy developments arising from the European Commission strategies (the European Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan, Chemical Strategy for Sustainability and derived initiatives) has significant implications for the value chains represented by both Afera and FEICA.” He concluded that "the substantial overlap in chemicals, members and approaches of both associations make it highly relevant to strengthen co-operation whenever possible.”