This 100% Biodegradable Face Mask Will Turn Into Flowers After You Plant It

By Karissa Lund  •  23 Mar 2021 in JUICE ♥

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Disposable masks are necessary during this pandemic but it’s no surprise that we are burning through them at an astounding rate. So, after weeks of tripping over all the blue disposable masks, a graphic designer in Utrecht came up with the idea of ​​a 100% biodegradable face mask with flower seeds embedded in it.

All you have to do is simply plant it for beautiful bee-friendly blooms!

According to Malay Mail, designer Marianne de Groot of the Dutch design firm Pons Ontwerp created a biodegradable mask called Marie Bee Bloom that’s made from layers of rice paper and inside it, there are flower seeds that can sprout under the right conditions.

The rest of the mask is environmentally friendly too.

The ear loops are made from simple spun wool. A cord fastener allows you to adjust the loops to fit, but instead of being made out of plastic, it’s just a tiny flower punched out of an egg carton. As for how the loops attach to the mask, they run through a small tube built into each side fashioned by rolling the mask over itself and glueing it with potato starch.

The entire product looks more like a craft project than a surgical mask that’s come off of a mass assembly line, but that’s largely the point. It’s a product designed for its end of life.

De Groot-Pons says that Marie Bee Bloom masks have not been tested for protection factors but they are just as safe to use as homemade fabric face masks. It basically demonstrates a more sustainable approach to PPE and can be referenced for a better environment-friendly mask in the future.

They are priced at €3 (approx. RM14.73) each or, more precisely, from €15 (or approx. US$17.88) for five masks but for now, it is only sold in three countries.

Maybe one day it will arrive in Malaysia and become an easy way to help ourselves, the earth, and the bees!