display
Chemnitz (dpa) - In view of the cheap competition from Asia, East German textile manufacturers are increasingly using reusable medical products such as masks and smocks.
This is more sustainable and can prevent mountains of rubbish from single-use products, informed the Association of the North-East German Textile and Clothing Industry (vti) in Chemnitz.
In this way, the companies also hope to be able to compete with disposable items from abroad in the long term.
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, including the collapse of global supply chains for such medical products, many textile manufacturers in this country have started production of masks and smocks, for example.
In spring there was great interest in it and politicians also encouraged companies to take this step, according to the association.
In the meantime, however, there are again imports from Asia, so that the interest in products from domestic production among customers such as clinics and nursing homes has significantly decreased.
The textile finisher pro4tex from Niederfrohna near Chemnitz relies on reusable products.
The company with around 100 employees produces three-layer medical masks.
After the first use, they could be washed and reused at least 20 times, explained managing director Björn-Olaf Dröge.
The masks would be used in Berlin clinics and by Deutsche Bahn.
display
The virus and bacteria-proof gowns from textile entrepreneur Axel Seidel from Treuen in Vogtland can also be used multiple times.
They could be washed at least 100 times;
Seidel assured us that the higher price compared to disposable gowns was compensated for after about ten cleanings.
In addition, this would save disposal costs.
The East German textile industry wanted to provide information on Friday about its current situation and developments in the field of health textiles.
According to its own statements, the vti represents around 160 companies in eastern Germany with around 16,000 employees, the majority of them in Saxony and Thuringia.
Association of the North-East German Textile and Clothing Industry