Clariant begins production of disinfectant amid Coronavirus outbreak

2 million litres of disinfectant every month for hospitals and other vital institutions

April 8, 2020

Clariant, a focused specialty chemical company, today announced it has started monthly production of 2 million litres of disinfectant at its facilities in Gendorf, Germany. This disinfectant is then directly or via repacking partners provided to regional hospitals and other vital institutions in Bavaria, that are currently facing limited availability of this critical product during the COVID-19 outbreak.

At its facility in Gendorf, Clariant is able to use its available infrastructure to blend the necessary ingredients into disinfectant at a large scale. This allows the company to fulfill close to two-thirds of the monthly target demand of the Bavarian State, which aims for a total of 10 million litres of disinfectants to be produced over the next three months. Costs associated with this program are financed by a crisis fund set up by the State of Bavaria, Clariant offered its contribution at cost price.

“At times like this, it is vital that everyone, be it individuals or companies, contributes in every way possible to reduce the spread of the virus. We at Clariant have the capability to support those working the hardest to protect all of us. Therefore, our employees acted decisively to ensure it was done,” said Hans Bohnen, chief operating officer of Clariant.

In order to realize the production of such large volumes of disinfectant, Clariant has cooperated with several other companies. The main ingredient, ethanol from renewable sources, was provided by CropEnergies AG. Their facility in Zeitz, Saxony-Anhalt, one of Europe’s largest production sites for renewable ethanol, produces the ethanol and ships it to Clariant in Gendorf. For this process, support was given by several logistics and infrastructure partners. After inspection and approval, the ethanol is then mixed with other ingredients in Clariant’s production facilities to produce disinfectant according to an official standard of the World Health Organization (WHO). Upon completion, the disinfectant is filled into large tank containers. Other partnering companies fill packaging in suitable sizes, ranging from 1 to 1,000 litres, after which the disinfectant is distributed to regional hospitals and other vital institutions.

Thanks to all these contributions, it was possible to support the Bavarian authorities and establish a stable supply chain for disinfectant on short notice and of large proportions. The total of 10 million liters would represent approximately 750 ml of disinfectant for every resident of Bavaria.

Stephan Trautschold, head of Operations for Clariant’s Industrial and Consumer Specialties business added, “Being able to establish production of such large quantities of disinfectant so quickly is an impressive achievement. I am very proud of our entire team at the Gendorf site, Clariant’s service functions and very appreciative of the support from all other partnering companies and the Bavarian authorities. Together we can make a difference by supporting those in need.”

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