In Canada, the government has invested in producing biodegradable face mask filters to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, has announced a $1.3 million investment in FPInnovations, a non-profit R&D private organization spanning the pulp and paper industry, forest operations, wood products, and bio-sourced products, to develop a biodegradable, single-use face mask using local forest products. The masks will be produced by Canadian pulp and paper mills.
“FPInnovations has been on a sprint since the beginning of the pandemic, and we are proud of the work we accomplished toward the need for a single-use face mask with consistent performance that is eco-friendly and locally-produced. We are confident in our capacity to deliver a fully biodegradable made-in-Canada face mask in the near future and thank NRCan for its support of Canadian forest sector workers,” says Stéphane Renou, President and CEO of FPInnovations.