BASF joins India's efforts in fight against COVID-19
- Donation of polymers to manufacture 10 million N99 masks
- Contribution to PM CARES Fund and local community outreach efforts
Mumbai, India – July 1, 2020 – BASF has extended its full support to the people of India and its Government to overcome the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic through several donations and relief initiatives.
BASF SE has manufactured and donated 4 metric tons of Ultramid® B24 N-polymers to the Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA), an autonomous body associated with the Ministry of Textiles, to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Indian medical fraternity and police force.
With the help of the Indian embassy in Berlin, along with the BASF team at its Antwerp site, BASF SE manufactured Ultramid® B24 N-polymers at short notice. Despite several challenges, the products were successfully airlifted from Frankfurt, Germany, to Mumbai and subsequently reached Ahmedabad by road. ATIRA will use the raw materials to produce filters for more than 10 million high-quality N99 face masks for the Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO), the research arm of Ministry of Defense, and for the Indian Ministry of Health.
“We would like to express our sincere thanks to BASF for the donation as well as the quick response from their teams across India, Germany and Belgium, ensuring the products were manufactured and delivered in time. This collaboration enables us to produce filters for high-quality N99 masks and provide them to our frontline COVID-19 warriors,” said Deepali Plawat, Deputy Director, ATIRA.
Additionally, BASF in India is supporting the efforts to fight the pandemic in the country in various ways:
- Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) – BASF in India has earmarked a fund of INR 31.2 million for COVID-19 relief activities. A large portion of this fund, INR 18 million, has been dedicated to the PM CARES Fund.
- Local community outreach – With a fund of INR 13.2 million, BASF is supporting local communities around its manufacturing sites by distributing critical essentials, including food supplies, masks, sanitizers and gloves.
- Employee contribution and volunteering – BASF created a platform for employees to donate from their salary to the PM CARES Fund voluntarily. In addition to several employee volunteering initiatives, BASF dedicated a sum of INR 1.2 million from the employee contribution.
“At BASF, we are committed to being a strong corporate citizen. We will stand in solidarity with the people of India and the government to fight the coronavirus and to reach out to the people in need. Through our joint efforts, we will emerge stronger from this crisis together,” said Narayan Krishnamohan, Managing Director BASF India Limited and Head South Asia.
About BASF in India
BASF has successfully partnered India’s progress for more than 125 years. As of the end of 2019, BASF had 2,431 employees in India at 11 production sites and at 34 offices throughout the country. The Innovation Campus Mumbai and the Technical Support Center in Mangalore are both part of BASF’s global technology platform. In 2019, BASF registered sales of approximately €1.3 billion to customers in India. Further information is available on the internet at www.basf.com/in.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.
