Wear these eco-friendly masks that grow into a plant after being discarded!

These eco-friendly masks are 100% Biodegradable, Chemical Free, and are made with fabric waste. Plant them after use and watch them grow into something green and beautiful!

During the first lockdown when India started to manufacturer huge quantities of PPE kits and Surgical Masks, Roshan Ray and his team at 'Seed Paper India' knew that it was going to be a catastrophic meltdown if it is not disposed off properly. At the end of 2020, he decided that they can use their expertise from making Seed Paper and converting them into plantable masks, and that's how these eco-friendly masks were invented.

"There was a recent article in the newspaper which said that one of the big hospitals had consumed over 1 Lakh liters of oxygen in just one week. That was a tipping point that made me realize what we had taken oxyegn for granted, now we are paying for it. With my expertise and skill, I thought why not convert masks into plants. It was also recently in the news that nearly 500 metric tonnes of waste are being generated currently in India due to the Pandemic. It is filling our landfills and our oceans very fast! So, these masks are a way of giving back to nature all the oxygen we had taken for granted. ", said Roshan Ray, founder of Paper Seed India.

Here's how they make it!

Firstly, the team collects all the waste generated in the garment industry. Right from the side cotton cuttings, to cotton trims which usually end up in landfills are taken. After the collection of wastes, it is washed and cleaned at their facility. With the help of a beater Machine, they convert it into a pulp.

The next step involves the conversion of the pull into the handmade paper by using traditional Vats. The team then embed seeds in these handmade papers. After drying the paper, finally, it is converted into Masks. The Masks are 100% biodegradable and chemical-free as the team ensures everything is eco-friendly. " The painting on the masks is done with sustainable ink. Even for the earloop of the mask, we use Jute Thread which is sourced from the Khadi Industry.", he added.

Paper Seed India has the capacity to make 500-700 masks per Day. Once the Lockdown will end they will increase production to 2000 to 3000 per day. Since these masks are all handmade it takes a longer time to make them. But the result is totally worth it. "These masks are made of 100% cotton material. So, it is safe to say that these masks are much better than a regular cotton mask which is available in the market." These masks are surely filling the demand between a cotton mask and a surgical mask. After the use, one can bury them in a large pot in fertile soil, and see the plant grow.

Seed Paper India makes eco-friendly products including re-plantable seed paper and stationery. Their latest products are impressive and feature seeded Ganesha idols, Replantable Independence Day flags, flower extract Holi colours with seed bombs, and Plantable tulsi-seeded rakhi kits. Check their work and shop for some cool eco-friendly products here. 

Also Read: Brick 2.0: Meet Dr. Binish Desai who is making bricks with discarded PPE Face masks!

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