Lenzing Produces Comfortable Face Masks
for Children
As more businesses start opening up after the extended closures from COVID-19, Hygiene Austria LP GmbH, a new company founded by Lenzing AG and Palmers Textil AG, is producing comfortable colorful children’s masks made to last.
Lenzing, an SAC manufacturer member that develops natural fibers from wood, and Palmers, a textile manufacturer and distributor, founded Hygiene Austria in April as COVID-19 struck the globe, to produce and sell protective masks for domestic and European markets. The new company is focused on addressing the shortage of protective masks in Europe for frontline medical workers and EU citizens in response to the virus. Within six weeks, masks were already available to the market. “The aim of this joint venture is to provide the residents of Austria and Europe with the best possible protection through locally manufactured, high-quality and certified products,” Stefan Doboczky, CEO of Lenzing says.
In just a few weeks, Lenzing and Palmers invested several million euros in a modern production infrastructure at the Palmers Wiener Neudorf facility near Vienna and secured the raw materials to produce mouth-nose protective masks (MNS) and particle-filtering half masks (FFP2 masks) for adults. The Wiener Neudorf facility can produce 12 million masks per month. The masks have been met with a positive response. When Hygiene Austria started selling the masks in May, it immediately received numerous orders worth millions of euros. Establishing Hygiene Austria also created nearly one hundred new job opportunities in Lower Austria, supporting local communities during the difficult economic times caused by COVID-19.
Students and their school principal Marion Amri learned about face mask manufacturing at Hygiene Austria’s Wiener Neudorf facility.
As businesses reopen in the midst of COVID-19, many communities require that people wear masks in public. Parents face the challenge of finding comfortable high-quality masks for their children Many of the children’s masks on the market — when they are available — often break after a short period of time given youngsters’ often active natures.
Lenzing and Palmers used their textile expertise to develop high-quality, comfortable children’s masks that withstand children’s play. The children’s masks come in ten colors.
Learn more about Lenzing’s COVID-19 efforts.
COVID-19 Impacts & Resources
The SAC launched a new COVID-19 impacts webpage that offers information and resources for the apparel industry to leverage while navigating the current crisis.