German chemical company BASF announced on April 14 that it will donate 100 million protective masks to the German government. In addition, 1 million masks will be donated to the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
BASF is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate. With approximately 35,000 employees, it is BASF’s largest production base in the world.
BASF said that these masks will be purchased from China and prepared to be shipped to Germany. BASF expects to make its first delivery of masks at Frankfurt Airport early next week.
Martin Brudermüller, Chairman of the Executive Board of BASF, said: This emergency can only be dealt with by all of us working together. So we are leveraging the company’s procurement network and logistics support in China to help.
BASF will bear the cost of purchasing and shipping the masks. The masks will be distributed by the Federal Ministry of Health and the state agency for social affairs, youth and welfare in Rhineland-Palatinate.
This donation of masks is one of several measures taken by BASF in response to the coronavirus. Another focus is on the production of hand sanitizer.
BASF has begun producing hand sanitizer at various bases in Europe and donating it to nearby hospitals, nursing facilities and other related institutions for free. BASF hopes to alleviate the shortage of hand sanitizer through this move.
BASF stated that it has created a production capacity of 1 million liters of disinfectant in Germany alone. Currently, approximately 150,000 liters of disinfectant have been distributed free of charge to medical institutions and nursing homes. BASF has also started producing disinfectants in France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, and the United States and donating them to fight the new coronavirus.
