Innovators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and medical professionals at Stanford University School of Medicine in association with the Hyderabad-based healthcare start-up, Parisodhana Technologies, is planning to make over a billion, breathing, cotton, social masks for healthcare professionals and the general public in India.

These innovators have put together an initiative called ‘Billion Social Masks’ to manufacture masks out of specially processed, higher quality spun bond and melt blown polymer, a fabric which has better particulate filtration efficiency, better breathability and improved splash resistance. The fabric quality and design/innovation of the initial batch of masks have already been tested and certified by the South Indian Textile Research Association (SITRA), an NABL-accredited laboratory based in Coimbatore.

The team’s plan is to involve hundreds of women’s self-help groups (SHGs) across the country in the initiative. The initial mandate is to make 5,000 masks for healthcare workers and 50,000 masks for ordinary people a day. The team has also roped in several social ventures such as Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in Ahmedabad, SELCO Foundation India, a social enterprise based in Bengaluru and EKAM Foundation.

Mr.Kuchibhatla said,“Our goal is to give people higher quality masks that offer better protection and breathability.’’

As per Dr. Anoop Rao of Stanford University, the tested and certified quality of this mask – unlike many others in the market – is the key to providing standardised safety and quality. “I also see the initiative as an excellent template for manufacturing other products to support the Indian healthcare sector.’’

“A significant part of the profit that our initiative generates, will go to these workers as a means to ensure sustained employment benefits for them and their communities,” said Dr. Chintan Vaishnav of the MIT.