Industry organisation to buy masks and sanitiser for French leather companies
France’s main leather industry body, the Conseil National du Cuir (CNC), has launched a centralised initiative to acquire protective masks and hand sanitiser for companies across the domestic leather industry.
It said on April 7 that it wanted companies in the French leather sector, who have been inactive since March 16 owing to Covid-19, to be able to begin production again as soon as possible.
It said the authorities in France were likely to insist that companies impose social distancing procedures, secure full agreement from trade unions and supply workers with suitable protection before allowing them to begin production again.
CNC has placed an order for 200,000 masks, which it will distribute to its member companies. It has also ordered 7,000 litres of hand sanitiser. These orders could increase to 500,000 masks and 14,000 litres of sanitiser if needed.
It has ordered the hand sanitiser from French leather chemicals manufacturer ATC, which recently applied for and received approval to use the biocides and fungicides it puts into some of its leather chemicals products to make hand sanitiser instead.
President of the organisation, Frank Boehly, said that companies able to ensure employee safety would be in a position to restart production as soon as this is allowed. He said CNC had sought ways “to ensure the continuity of companies so that the economy does not falter and companies don’t collapse”.
