Hygienic into the future

Disinfection dispenser DEEON with reusable Variotainer and stainless steel components (Photo: SCHÄFER WERKE GmbH)

The business divisions SCHÄFER Perforated Sheets and SCHÄFER Container Systems of the SCHÄFER WERKE Group have developed the contactless hand hygiene system DEEON in cooperation with the beverage tap manufacturer DSI, based in Hamm. DEEON enables hygienic hand disinfection in accordance with WHO and RKI recommendations, especially in high-traffic visitor areas. SCHÄFER Perforated Sheets manufactures the individual components for the stainless steel enclosure of the autonomous DEEON footon. The 20-liter multi-use Variotainer integrated into the hygiene station is supplied by SCHÄFER Container Systems.

The capacity of a filled 20-liter Variotainer made of stainless steel is sufficient for 6,000 hand disinfectings of 3 ml each. The emptied reusable containers are replaced in a circular system with refilled Variotainers. For comparison: conventional hand disinfectant systems consume up to 60 single-use plastic bottles for the same number of disinfection cycles, in which a residual disinfectant always remains, thus requiring special waste disposal. With the introduction of the reusable concept into the disinfectant segment, packaging waste can now be permanently avoided in this application area as well.

DEEON footon is operated solely by a mechanical foot pump via a pedal and is ready for use anywhere without additional power supply. The usual hand contact with fixtures is eliminated. Consequently, pathogens such as bacteria and viruses are deprived of the necessary contact surface for transmission. Another feature of DEEON's functional design is the individual advertising surface of the enclosure. This allows for unmistakable branding, depending on the user and application area, such as at the entrance of public buildings.

Global WHO recommendations and the resulting policy requirements have necessitated particularly rapid action from industry. The cooperation partners responded to this urgency with a time-to-market of only a few weeks. "If we learned one thing last year, it is that we cannot take health for granted. With the very quickly developed hand hygiene dispenser, which, unlike many conventional disinfectant dispensers, can be operated via foot contact, we offer a solution for urgently needed hygiene concepts that can be integrated into a sustainable circular economy," explains Guido Klinkhammer, Managing Director of the SCHÄFER WERKE Group.