A conversation with Thomas Hentschel (GREEN PARTY), member of the state parliament

The corona pandemic is not over yet. Even if the general situation in Germany seems to be under control, growing numbers of infections are reported worldwide. It is all the more important that the rules are consistently followed: Distancing, Hygiene, Everyday mask DACH whose headquarters are in Rastatt, is a large manufacturer of protective clothing and protective masks.

"A situation like in March, in which the number of infections rose sharply and there were supply bottlenecks for protective masks, cannot be repeated," states the state parliament member Thomas Hentschel (GREEN PARTY). "We have to strengthen our production capacity locally in order to reduce our dependence on foreign manufacturers from China to some extent."

As a company, DACH would love to produce more in Germany, but that was not easy for mask production in the past for reasons of market economy. “So far, customers have oriented themselves almost exclusively on the basis of sales price. Even in public tenders, in the end, it is only the price that is decisive ”, says DACH sales manager Markus Suppinger somewhat regrettably. Rather, sustainability aspects and economic concerns should also be taken into account. Mask production has meanwhile been relocated back to Germany, but this is associated with higher costs. "If you want quality, you have to pay more," says Suppinger.

Hentschel and Suppinger agreed that aspects such as regional supply, reliable certification as well as environmentally friendly production and sustainability should also be taken into account in tenders. For example, environmental costs such as CO2 emissions in production and sales could be included, explained Henschel. Parliaments are called upon to create the appropriate legal basis. "I will be very happy to take up the request and pass it on to my colleagues in Berlin," concluded Hentschel.