About Henkel

Click here to view the Henkel Visions and Values.

A brief history of Sellotape®

• 1937 - Sellotape® is born - Colin Kininmonth and George Grey coated cellophane film with a natural rubber resin to create a sticky tape product. They registered this product under the name Sellotape®
• 1939 - Following the outbreak of war in 1939 the company was put on war work and made Cellulose tape for sealing ration and first aid packs, and a cloth tape for sealing ammunition boxes. There was also a product produced in sheet form for covering windows as protection from breaking glass.
• 1950's - Sellotape® brand comes to New Zealand
• 1966 - Manufacturing of Sellotape® begins in New Zealand
• 1994 - ISO 9001 Quality Accreditation for Sellotape® in New Zealand (now 2000 version)
• 2002 - Sellotape® was bought by Henkel Consumer Adhesives, part of the largest adhesives company in the world.

Today, Sellotape® consumer products are highly popular and used widely in homes and offices.

Did you know:

• Sellotape® has been featured three times in the Superbrands' book of the world's greatest brands.
• A passengers life was dramatically saved on a flight from Hong Kong to London in May 1995 when a coat hanger, Sellotape® and a bottle of brandy was used in an emergency mid-air operation.

Back to top