Polylactic acid face masks win FDA approval

In Canada, the US FDA has granted emergency use authorization for a plant-based, medical-grade facemask produced by Manitoba’s PADM Medical PRECISION ECO. 

Made from ECOFUSE™ plant-based materials manufactured by Roswell Textiles using polylactic acid produced by TotalEnergies Corbion, PADM says producing the masks emits half the carbon dioxide of conventional masks. Made from petroleum, billions of such masks are discarded annually and take up to 450 years to biodegrade. 

PADM’s masks have also received USDA Certified Biobased product designation under the USDA BioPreferred Program with a biobased content of 82%.