A Disposable Mask That Sprouts Flowers After Being Used
Images via Marie Bee Bloom and Shutterstock
With the coronavirus still in the air, masking up is necessary. Unfortunately, this requirement comes with its own environmental banes. As reported by Fast Company, three million disposable face masks are discarded every minute, totaling to 129 billion face coverings per month. They’re also slowing down the fight to limit single-use plastics, since many of them are constructed with plastic fibers.
One designer, however, is reimagining these daily essentials as objects that might bring even more benefit to the planet. Dutch designer Marianne de Groot of Pons Ontwerp has launched Marie Bee Bloom, a brand of biodegradable masks that, when buried, can sprout flowers.
The disposable face covers are decomposable due to the layers of rice paper that make up the garments, along with their simple spun wool ear loops and adjustable egg carton fasteners. The parts are held together by a potato starch “glue.”
After the masks are used, wearers can even plant them in the ground to grow blooms, as the rice paper layers are stashed with flower seeds that can sprout when properly cared for.
However, since rice paper is pretty delicate and isn’t known as a protective material, this mask might not be the most hardy against viruses. Nevertheless, the biodegradable masks could serve as a starting ground for mask makers looking into environmentally-friendly options.
Looks-wise, these masks may not hold a candle to some of the more sophisticated face masks developed in response to the pandemic, but as Fast Company notes, it’s because they’re built for a second life under the earth.
Each mask is priced at about US$3.50. You can find out more about them here.
[via Fast Company, images via various sources]
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