Information about Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

MEASURES TAKEN BY THE MODEL GROUP

The exceptional situation caused by the new corona virus currently results in various measures and restrictions. We face up to these rapidly changing challenges.

Our behaviour is based on the WHO guidelines and the latest official national guidelines of the respective countries. We have taken great care to protect our employees in the best possible way, and to ensure product safety and availability. For this purpose, we have issued mandatory guidelines for our employees, visitors, suppliers and logistics partners. These requirements currently include personal hygiene measures such as hand disinfection for all employees and external companies, strict adherence to the distance rules and behaviour in the event of illness. We monitor and observe the current recommendations of the authorities very closely and will adjust our further measures accordingly if necessary.

We are organizationally and technically able to produce our products at various factories within the Model Group. This does significantly strengthen our ability to deliver in the event of a crisis. We are set up as follows:

• We run several paper mills. The paper meant for our corrugated board production is mainly ensured through our own paper production.

• There are 14 high-performance production sites for solid board and corrugated board within the Model Group; this is why we can produce all common packaging types within the group.

• We site throughout the entire group work with our own truck fleets, which allows us to carry out a significant part of customer deliveries independent from external transport capacities.
• Currently, the market is such that, as an integrated company, we can cover the entire value chain and thus ensure the supply chain right through to the end customer.

In close cooperation with our suppliers, we continuously check the availability of all materials used to manufacture our products. In addition to paper, this also includes auxiliary materials such as ink or glue. In general, we do only use raw materials and auxiliaries originating in Switzerland or the EU. Based on our contingency plans for our production sites, we have taken appropriate precautionary measures for all operating plants, machines, employees and raw materials.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CONCERNING PACKAGING AND THE CORONA VIRUS

IS THERE NEED FOR CONCERN WHEN I RECEIVE PARCELS FROM THE POSTAL SERVICE?

Comprehensive research projects carried out after the SARS epidemic have shown that viruses will survive for a maximum period of 24hours on surfaces made of paper or cardboard. These results hold true also for the coronavirus. On a plastic surface, viruses will survive for a period of up to 72 hours.

DO I NEED TO DISINFECT ALL ITEMS PURCHASED AT THE SUPERMARKET? WHAT TYPE OF DANGER DOES SUCH A SURFACE REPRESENT TO ME?

Andreas Hensel, expert with the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, considers it unlikely that goods such as food, commodities, toys, tools, computers, clothing or shoes constitute a source for an infection with the new coronavirus. This assessment is based on the contagion modes identified so far and the only minor stability to environmental factors of the coronavirus.

HOW CAN I PROTECT MYSELF AGAINST AN INFECTION WITH THE VIRUS THROUGH SURFACE CONTACT?

Even though an infection with the virus through contaminated surfaces as e.g. of packaging is considered unlikely we do still recommend to observe common hygiene measures such as regularly washing one’s hands.