Health

World’s First Compostable, Medical Grade Plant-Based Face Mask Approved by FDA

PADM Medical‘s PRECISION ECO plant-based procedural mask has become the world’s first plant-based face mask to receive FDA approval for use in medical and healthcare settings. The masks contain plant-based biopolymers that are fully compostable.

“Most PPE consists of petroleum based, non-biodegradable polymers that can take up to 450 years to decompose”

You would be hard-pressed in these post-pandemic times to find a human on Earth that hasn’t witnessed discarded face masks polluting the environment. Billions of petroleum-based, disposable surgical masks are discarded each year. This study analysed data on mask and glove litter across 11 countries, and the results are truly heartbreaking.

Padm medical masks
© PADM medical

According to Greenpeace,1.3 billion surgical masks were produced in Taiwan at the peak of the pandemic, generating 5,500 metric tonnes of waste in a three month period alone. Says PADM Medical, “Most Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) consists of petroleum-based, non-biodegradable polymers that can take up to 450 years to decompose in our landfills, rivers, lakes, and other natural environments.”

Renewable crops

PADM Medical’s PRECISION ECO™ Plant Based procedural masks are created with ECOFUSE™ plant-based materials manufactured by Roswell Textiles, which according to the company come from renewable crop resources.

Padm medical masks
© PADM medical

Says Martin Petrak, PADM Medical Group CEO: “The EUA on the PRECISION ECO™ product is a milestone. It is a reward to our commitment to making eco-conscious products to support the health and wellness of all individuals and our planet. This commitment drives us as a company as we continue to innovate for a greener and more sustainable world.”

“We are working in collaboration with our global partners to develop the vast potential of our PRECISION ECO™ plant based/compostable masks,” he adds.

Padm medical waste
© PADM medical

Derek Atkinson, VP of Business Development at TotalEnergies Corbion added: “We should not accept the limitations of the current way of doing things as being the only way. As we try to minimize the impact of our products on the environment, it is these developments that help us realize these ambitions.” He continued, “as the supplier to PADM Medical Group of the high purity polylactic acid (Luminy® PLA) needed in the production of these groundbreaking biobased surgical masks, we are delighted to learn that PADM has succeeded in obtaining Emergency Use Authorization from the US FDA.”

For more information about PADM Medical and PRECISION ECO™ visit: www.padmmedicalusa.com

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