BASF Personal Care Donates Hand Sanitizers in Europe

BASF Personal Care has begun producing hand disinfectant at various production facilities across Europe. Products are being supplied free of charge to hospitals, care facilities and other institutions in regions surrounding the production plants. The company aims to help ease the current bottleneck in hand disinfectant supply caused by significantly increased demand.   The BASF Personal Care production facility in Germany in Düsseldorf produced and donated 13,000 litres of urgently needed product, and will deliver a further 23,000 litres to a central collection point in the city. Authorities will distribute from there to local medical institutions. Similar programmes are continuing in other European regions in Spain, France and Italy.   Xavier Susterac, Senior Vice President Europe at BASF Personal Care, says: "We know that the supply situation for suitable disinfectants is very critical across Europe. By using our production assets and filling lines to supply disinfectants to hospitals, we are helping to combat the current coronavirus pandemic. Our priority at BASF is now to protect people inside and outside the company." [caption id="attachment_100732" align="aligncenter"] At many European facilities BASF Personal Care is producing disinfectant free of charge for health institutions. In the image: A BASF employee loading the product for transport to a central collection point. Image source: BASF[/caption]

Personal Care Industry Raw Materials Being Used for Disinfectants

BASF produces some of the raw materials that can be used to produce disinfectant, with other necessary materials sourced externally. Normally, these are used in the company's value chain to produce components for personal care and home care markets. However, the company has now reallocated some of the raw materials obtained, particularly isopropanol, for hand disinfectant production.   With this action BASF Personal Care is following the steps of the 'Helping Hands' campaign initiated by the parent company in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF SE produces hand disinfectant and donates it to health facilities in the Rhein-Neckar metropolitan region. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, the company has launched a comprehensive package of measures to slow the spread of the virus and protect people. Measures range from remote working practices or adaptation of production shifts to increased hygiene standards.