The surge in global demand for masks with the onset of the pandemic led to tens of thousands of new mask manufacturers popping up all over the world¹, but tens of millions of masks were subsequently seized by authorities for being substandard.

Prices of masks have become very unpredictable. During the early months of the pandemic, prices for masks and other PPE saw staggering increases of up to 1000%². We continue to see volatility in pricing due to the second wave of infections already reported. 

Shipping and distribution of hundreds of millions of pieces of PPE to hundreds of thousands of CHWs around the world is a massive logistical challenge. As a result CHWs are often forced to work without the necessary PPE. Single-use masks cannot be effectively disinfected* with water or alcohol as this reduces the charge on the fibers in the filter which reduces their filter efficiency.

In either case, the risk of infection for the CHWs and their patients is substantially increased.

Even when CHWs do get sufficient quantities of high-quality medical masks, the single-use plastic nature of these masks leads to various environmental problems:

• It is estimated that 129 billion³ single-use face masks are being used per month in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic*. This mind-boggling volume of single-use masks poses an extraordinary risk to the environment.

• Used PPE should be handled as infectious waste, but CHWs frequently work in rural areas without the established systems for handling infectious waste. This poses contamination risks for waste handlers and waste pickers who make a living sorting through waste for recyclables.

In response to the pandemic, and contemplating global shortages in PPE, the Stellenbosch Nanofiber Company in Cape Town (South Africa), improved the design of the traditional medical mask, in order to develop a reusable and more sustainable alternative.