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BUSINESS
29recyclinginternational.com | July/August | 2020
nationwide to help assemble our DIY
facemask kits to get personal protec-
tion equipment to first responders,
essential workers, and vulnerable
communities ASAP,’ they say.
Looptworks is also accepting cash
donations to offset material and ship-
ping costs of their ambitious project.
optimising fiLtration
The New Jersey business Global Fiber
Technologies is also doing what it can
to ensure healthcare professionals
have all the personal protective equip-
ment they need. Recycling various
types of used textiles into medical
masks is an integral part of this proj-
ect.
‘Through our normal course of busi-
ness of rejuvenating fibre from uni-
forms and other textile products and
making commemorative shirts, we
have developed a large inventory of
fibres and fabrics,’ says company ceo
Paul Serbiak. ‘At this moment, we
have enough on hand to manufacture
millions of masks.’
In fact, the company is finalising a cus-
tom design for a personal protective
mask that comprises a reusable, wash-
able lined mask and replaceable, dis-
posable filter inserts. The entire mask
is designed to provide 95% filtration
of virus-sized particles.
Various US hospitals have expressed
interest in the design which is effec-
tive yet economical, due to the cross-
over of both reusable and disposable
features. Serbiak estimates that the
cost per use is about 50% less than
that of typical disposable surgical
masks.
Global Fiber Technologies typically
transforms used textiles into shirts,
aprons and bags for various commer-
cial parties. ‘We feel it is important we
and Scott Hamlin, who founded the
company in 2009. They point out that
clothing factories in the US throw
away 27.5 tonnes of perfectly usable,
pre-consumer textiles in an average
week.
The coronavirus pandemic is proving a
trigger for many leading organisations
to explore circular solutions, Hamlin
says. ‘We recently had the honour of
partnering with United Airlines to cre-
ate 7 500 reusable facemasks from 5.5
tonnes of excess retired uniforms.
These masks have been delivered to
the airline’s operations workers at San
Francisco International Airport, the
entrepreneur adds. ‘A great way of
reducing waste while keeping people
safe.’
Hamlin and Peck are hoping to inspire
citizens to ‘be heroes from home’, as
they put it. ‘We are connecting with
skilled folks both in Portland and
use our stockpile of raw materials to
help keep people safe during this out-
break period – or in the event of
another outbreak down the road,’
Serbiak points out.
The work is being carried by company
subsidiary Authentic Heroes. The ven-
ture will also be donating 5% of earn-
ings to charities supporting those ‘fight-
ing on the front line’ during this crisis.
Company president Chris Giordano
believes the market for personal pro-
tective products will remain robust for
years to come since the pandemic is
likely to have long term residual
effects. This could include a require-
ment for masks to be worn in public.
‘We are not here for the short term,’
Giordana says. ‘After careful consider-
ation we expect the market for per-
sonal protective equipment to repre-
sent a substantial portion of our busi-
ness model.’
IA
R
C
20
20
Sept. 2 – 4, 2020
Geneva, Switzerland
www.icm.ch
20th International Automobile Recycling Congress IARC 2020
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