As of Monday (January 18), an FFP2 mask is mandatory in some places in Bavaria.
These are expensive and produce an enormous amount of waste.
An entrepreneur from Germering is now helping.
In Bavaria, as of Monday (January 18), an FFP2 mask is mandatory in shops, public transport and medical practices.
The masks are said to provide better protection against the corona virus than everyday masks.
However, they are also significantly more expensive and produce an enormous amount of waste.
An entrepreneur from Germering now had a brilliant business idea.
Germering
-
FFP2 masks
in shops, public transport and at the doctor's - with this new
regulation
, which is due
to come into force
on
Monday (January 18)
in
Bavaria
, surprised
Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU)
last Tuesday at a press conference.
The idea behind this may well be understandable.
For months, some
virologists
and health
experts have
been calling for
the use of
FFP2 masks
instead of the
everyday
masks
previously used
, which often look nice and colorful, to protect against
coronavirus infection *
however, they often cannot keep up with the medical FFP2 variant.
FFP2 mask rule in Bavaria: Germeringen entrepreneur remedies this with reusable masks
Nevertheless, the new regulation also caused
criticism,
because FFP2 masks are
significantly more expensive
than everyday
masks
and have to be constantly renewed.
Prime Minister Söder promised the procurement of
millions of masks for the needy
- but
the regulation can also be a
financial burden
for normal wage earners who use
local public transport
every day, for example
.
But now there could be a remedy for the problem.
The
Germeringen entrepreneur Norbert Metzen
has shown foresight.
At the beginning of the
Corona *
pandemic
, he specialized in the production of
FFP2 reusable masks
.
These are fabric masks into which exchangeable
fleece filters
can be inserted.
Metzen's masks are
environmentally friendly
and just as beautifully colorful as the previous everyday
masks
.
In addition, they are significantly
cheaper
than other products, as Metzen
calculates
in an interview with the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
.
So you pay - depending on the dealer - for ten FFP2 masks between 20 and 50 euros.
Metzen's masks cost
15 euros
- including 10 interchangeable filters.
For another 15 euros you get 50 filters - the price advantage is evident.
Expensive FFP2 masks soon to be mandatory in Bavaria: Entrepreneur Norbert Metzen creates inexpensive reusable options
"The demand is enormous, my phone no longer stands still," said Metzen, who the
CSU government
may have given the
business of his life
with its new regulation
.
The basic idea was
sustainability
, says Metzen.
His masks are mainly made of elastane and polyester, so they are
washable
and reusable.
Metzen can prove
that it is a
certified medical product
by means of a certificate.
He has also registered his mask with the German Patent and Trademark Office in Munich.
He is already supplying
hospitals
, schools and nursing homes with his masks.
There are
volume discounts
for larger orders
.
FFP2 masks for reuse: Germeringen entrepreneur has a brilliant idea - and criticism for the Söder government
The fabric masks or
"medical masks",
as Metzen calls them, are made in a textile factory in Slovakia owned by Metzen.
He
gets the
fleece parts
from a company in Upper Franconia.
Although there is also a website on which the trade is carried out, most of it goes "via Facebook and word of mouth", reports Metzen in the
SZ
.
So far, his company has mainly produced merchandising items for sports teams such as Borussia Dortmund.
But of course the business
also collapsed
due to the corona
: "No spectators - no fan articles," says Metzen.
The
mask
business now keeps his company going and safeguards the jobs of around 30 employees.
With regard to the new
FFP2 mask regulation
in Bavaria, Metzen can only shake his head.
“With the normal FFP2 masks, the
necessary number cannot be produced,
” the entrepreneur is certain.
Since the masks have to be changed almost daily, in Bavaria there will be a need for up to 50 million masks in the next few weeks, he calculates.
Aside from
delivery bottlenecks
, he also sees another problem: The
masks
- possibly
contaminated
with the
coronavirus
- all end up in the
garbage
.
Metzen hopes all the more that people can
warm up
to his idea of the
reusable FFP2 masks
.
kah
You can always read all the information about the corona virus in Germany and Bavaria in our news tickers at Merkur.de *.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
