BASF Donates More Than 100 Million Protective Masks

BASF donated 100 million protective masks to the Federal Republic of Germany as part of its "Helping Hands" campaign to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The company is also donating 1 million masks to Rhineland-Palatinate. BASF's headquarters are located in Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate. This facility, with approximately 35,000 employees, is BASF's largest production site worldwide. The masks will be purchased from China and prepared for shipment to Germany. BASF plans to carry out the first mask delivery at Frankfurt Airport early next week. There they will be handed over to Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn and Malu Dreyer, Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate. BASF Board Chairman Martin Brudermüller stated, "We can only manage this process together. In this regard, we are utilizing our procurement networks and logistics services in China." The costs of purchasing and transporting the masks will be borne by BASF. The masks will be distributed by the Federal Health Ministry and the State Office for Social Affairs, Youth and Welfare in Rhineland-Palatinate. The mask donation is one of many initiatives under BASF's "Helping Hands" campaign. BASF is committed to providing approximately EUR 100 million worldwide to combat the pandemic. Another focus area is hand disinfectant production. BASF rapidly created new capacities at facilities in Ludwigshafen, Düsseldorf and Münster-Hiltrup, enabling production of up to 1 million liters of hand disinfectant with purchased raw materials. Approximately 150,000 liters of disinfectant have been distributed free of charge to hospitals, other health facilities (doctors, nursing homes) in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region and other areas.