THE pandemic has made face masks quite the everyday wear. Unfortunately, due to their one-off use, they have also become quite the everyday trash.

       Waste experts previously estimated that at least 10 million single-use face masks are used and discarded daily in the country. Globally, the Covid-19 pandemic is estimated to generate up to 7,200 tonnes of medical waste every day, much of which is disposable masks.

       While vaccination rates are up, face masks are likely here to stay, at least for a while more. And Vince Koay and Leong Mun Chiew think there is a better way to make them more sustainable.

       “Environmental issues are on the rise but the change needed to overcome this is not aggressively done. Then came the pandemic, which precipitated increased production of disposable face masks, bringing harm to the earth with its non-biodegradable nature,” notes Koay.

       To help address the issue, the duo, co-founders of local face mask brand AiruFlo, sought a different way to produce face masks. They looked into using food-grade silicone to produce transparent reusable masks.

       For sure, it wasn’t easy to persuade regulators and the market that its product could stand up to the task.

       “We had a hard time convincing Malaysia’s Medical Device Authority (MDA) on the usage of silicone material as a mask since all the masks are made of non-woven or fabric material. The MDA also had to seek guidance from the World Health Organization for the approval of the mask,” shares Leong.

       But after pouring about “half a million ringgit” into research and development and into obtaining all the proper regulatory certification, they went to market to gauge consumers’ response to their product.

       “Fortunately, most of our AiruFlo users understood that this is a new innovation and they have been very supportive and have given a lot of feedback to us.

       “We put a lot of focus on airflow engineering and it took us almost two years to refine and improve on the product based on users’ feedback,” says Leong.

       AiruFlo is a product under Introvert Lab, a subsidiary of MYM Technology. Introvert Lab is a startup consisting of engineers, designers and yes, introverts. The masks have a modular design that requires users to only replace its N95 filters. The product has been approved by the MDA and the United States Food and Drug Administration, according to the company.

       “We understand that there are a lot of medical products in the market that do not have the required approval from authorities so we worked hard to obtain the approval from MDA,” adds Koay.

       They also managed to convince several boutique pharmacies to carry their product. Notably, many were reluctant to have the product on their shelves as it requires a lot of attention, especially when it comes to explaining the functionality of AiruFlo to buyers.

       When the company started selling its product early last year, it managed to sell 10,000 units in April nationwide, generating about RM50,000 in revenue a month.

       But Leong points out that this was before the company did any aggressive promotion for the product. He expects sales to do better moving forward.

       They are also looking to potentially give out a warranty for their product to instill confidence in its quality, which could draw more customers in the near future.

       The company is also in talks with several medical distributors from other Asean countries in hopes of exporting their masks overseas. While Leong says interest in their product has been promising, exporting personal protective equipment products like masks can be a challenge.

       They would need to obtain approvals from the local regulatory body in the different countries before they can market their products there.

       “As AiruFlo’s masks are classified as a ‘medical mask’ with N95 grade filters, there are more regulations to follow before the mask can be approved for sale in a particular country. We have acquired approval from the FDA and we are now also working to have it sold on Amazon,” says Koay.

       Although Koay and Leong are looking to solve an environmental issue with their product, the formation of Introvert Lab was also very much to solve an unemployment issue.

       “The team at Introvert Lab is made up of very committed and experienced engineers that were retrenched during the pandemic so it actually started with the desire to not let that level of expertise go to waste while continuing to explore and design new innovative products,” says Leong.

       He adds that while MYM Technology has been in the industry for more than 30 years and has good manufacturing capabilities, their expertise was mainly focused on the electronics and the automotive industry.

       “This is the first time MYM Technology is exploring the medical tech field with the launch of a medical product like AiruFlo, a transparent silicone face mask.

       “The strength of our team at Introvert Lab is that we put a lot of commitment into developing AiruFlo and focusing on the technical aspect of the product to meet even the most stringent hygiene and safety requirements.”

       Although it is already two years into the pandemic and people have generally adapted to wearing disposable masks, the duo opines that there is still room for their product to gain market share.

       “You can see that only now silicone reusable masks are starting to get more recognition. The world has begun to realise the amount of trash being generated by disposables alone.

       “The pandemic is slowly shifting into an endemic, vaccination rates are high but it still doesn’t offer 100% protection as medical experts suggest. We believe wearing masks will be a norm,” says Koay.

       Leong also points out that there is no brand loyalty at the moment, giving them some leeway to court more consumers. He believes users will continue to have more than one type of mask moving forward, which bodes well for the company.

       “Disposing masks after each use is definitely not a long term solution. So the idea of reusable masks will be a viable move. Of course, we will face a lot of competition in the industry but we believe that we have made a mask that suits everyone and ticks a lot of checkboxes,” adds Leong.

       Its face mask is only the beginning for Introvert Lab.

       Leong notes that many big brands are developing portable or wearable air purifiers. This could also be a product line that the company may explore.

       It is also refining its existing product for sports with a focus on better breathability with a sporty look, as well as masks in smaller sizes for children.

       For now, though, Leong says Introvert Lab will continue to work on AiruFlo. The goal, some day, is for AiruFlo to be internationally recognised.