Altia produces ethanol for hand sanitiser manufacturers

Nordic alcoholic beverage company Altia has announced that it will produce technical ethanol will tackle the issue hand sanitiser shortage amid Covid-19 outbreak.

The ethanol will be the principal ingredient in hand sanitiser production.

The beverage company notes that industrial ethanol will be in production round-the-clock at its Koskenkorva plant.

Altia CEO Pekka Tennilä said: “For a long time, we have served several companies that produce hand sanitisers. In this critical situation, our focus is on ensuring the sufficiency of raw materials and continuing deliveries to our current customers, in addition to serving new customers as quickly as possible.”

Altia has been working with Finnish hand sanitiser manufacturing companies for a long time and is also one of the principal suppliers of technical ethanols in Finland.

The company explains that it is not involved in the production of hand sanitiser products but has been supplying key ingredients such as denatured ethanol used in hand sanitisers.

Altia produces denatured ethanol in vast amounts and delivers them to companies that produce sanitiser products.

Other beverage companies planning to produce ingredients used for manufacturing hand sanitiser include LVMH and Absolut Vodka.

LVMH directed the facilities of its perfume and cosmetics divisions to manufacture large quantities of hydroalcoholic gel, delivered to the French authorities.

LVMH notes that its brands such as Dior, Guerlain, and Givenchy will immediately begin production to help France in alleviating the spread of coronavirus.

Furthermore, Pernod Ricard’s Absolut Vodka is planning to distribute a high alcohol neutral spirit in Sweden for use in hand sanitisers.