We are used to taking on responsibilities, also for society. Due to the current emergency in all of Italy and also in the surroundings of our headquarters in Bolzano, there is a severe shortage of medical equipment for the treatment of patients suffering from COVID-19. We have started producing water-repellent protective masks and medical gowns with residual materials at our subsidiary in Montebelluna.   

The weekly production of 50,000 masks and 800 gowns enabled the South Tyrolean medical service to overcome the first bottleneck. At the same time, through our licensee partner SALEWA in the Chinese city of Xiamen, we procured a total of 20 million medical protective masks and 600,000 medical gowns. The material was transported to Vienna thanks to a unique cooperation with Austrian Airlines and the Austrian government. In an extraordinary action, two Boeing 777s, customarily used for commercial flights, were used for the transport of these goods, and all cabin seats were filled with cardboard boxes. The region of North Tyrol in Austria, the province of South Tyrol and the Italian Civil Protection based in Rome, all severely affected, will receive this urgently needed medical equipment that will help save lives. Our expertise in the production of mountain sports clothing and logistics, our international network and our ability to act quickly have enabled us to take on this responsibility that goes beyond our routine commercial activities linked to our brands Salewa, Dynafit, Evolv, Pomoca and Wild Country.  

And we will continue in the coming days. Transportation with Austrian Airlines’ aircrafts, which have been pragmatically converted into cargo aircrafts, will be possible for as long as necessary to continue providing medical supplies to Europe. This is also a new dimension of the Salewa-Oberalp Group's commitment to social sustainability, which, we would have never thought to have implemented two weeks ago. The Salewa-Oberalp Group has anticipated all costs for public institutions and has organized the official permits for transport in China and to the final destination. Our logistics department will distribute the material on behalf of the South Tyrolean Health Service by reorganizing its workload and increasing the number of shifts.