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istry for the sixth time in a row. In the national finals in the
year under review, a team of students from Berlin not only
won the ALTANA Special Prize for Chemistry in recognition
of an innovative, well thought-out, and sustainable business
idea in the field of chemistry, but also the overall 2019 / 2020
competition. The Berlin students developed a business plan
for a biodegradable plant pot intended to completely replace
the conventional plastic pot. Together with the plant,
the pot is planted in the ground, where it rots, fertilizes the
plant, and protects it when it starts to grow. Thus, potential
customers would not only avoid plastic waste, but also
save themselves the trouble of repotting and fertilizing. The
so-called KomPot is made from natural raw materials produced
as waste in the wood and paper industry. Using the
injection molding process, the pot can be shaped into form
like other thermoplastic materials, making it almost as stable
as a plastic pot.
The ALTANA Special Prize for Chemistry is coupled
with a trip to Wallingford on the East Coast of the U.S., where
the students can visit one of the ALTANA Group’s largest
research and production sites at BYK USA and take part in an
interesting social program. The trip could not take place
in 2020 due to the pandemic and will be made up for at a
later date.
Support in Times of Coronavirus
Many were completely unprepared for the extent of the pandemic,
especially at the beginning. The demand for the
necessary protective clothing, masks, and disinfectants far
exceeded the supply, and these items were not available in
many places. Although ALTANA itself does not manufacture
disinfectants or raw materials needed for them, we helped
out as much as we could at the local level by providing materials
such as protective masks, disposable suits, and gloves
that we did not absolutely need ourselves. We also offered
to help refill disinfectants and furnished suitable con-
tainers for medical facilities when needed. ACTEGA North
America’s packaging experts deployed their skills and resources
at the start of the pandemic and, after querying key
requirements, produced several thousand PET face shields,
which they distributed to hospitals and first responders in the
greater Providence area in the state of Rhode Island. In addition,
they manufactured and distributed more than 1,000
liters of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes, as required
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to facilities in
New England and New Jersey and other places where
they were urgently needed. Many U.S. distilleries pivoted to
producing hand sanitizer to meet the enormous demand.
ACTEGA North America used its industry contacts for an unusual
sourcing initiative to quickly identify alternative and
available containers for the bottlers, because the typical bottles
for sanitizers were quickly out of stock.
As the pandemic progressed, ALTANA also financially
contributed to the purchase of so-called CO² traffic lights
for elementary schools, among other things. These items
measure the concentration of carbon dioxide in the rooms
and indicate when ventilation should be provided. Hence they
help reduce the risk of infection in classrooms.
Last but not least, we make a contribution with our
products and solutions in particularly important areas such as
supply, transport and logistics, as well as food and medical
needs. These include insulating materials and potting compounds
for use in respirators or syringes, additives for the
manufacture of respirators and medical protective clothing,
as well as PVC- and plasticizer-free sealing compounds for
baby food. In the magazine section of this report starting on
page 19, we present further examples of applications of
our innovative solutions.
104 Social Commitment