“A Dutch designer has created biodegradable facemasks made from rice paper that will transform into flowers when planted.
Face masks are now part of our daily lives and are likely to remain so for months, if not years. But while they may be essential in stopping the spread of coronavirus pandemic, they are not particularly friendly for the planet or the oceans.
Surgical masks littering the streets of Europe’s capitals has become an image synonymous with the pandemic. As a result, the environment — which had finally made its way onto the agenda of key concerns for people worldwide — has suffered a serious blow. When they aren’t discarded in the streets, face masks are filling up public trash cans and home garbage bags, which isn’t particularly environmentally friendly.
This is an issue that got Marianne de Groot-Pons, a graphic designer with the Pons Ontwerp agency based in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, thinking. To cut pollution linked to mask-wearing, the young designer has come up with a 100 per cent biodegradable model.
But she hasn’t stopped there. To brighten up these gloomy times, the designer is offering an artisanal-made face mask which, once worn, can be planted in a garden or a pot and grow into flowers. This is possible thanks to flower seeds embedded in the original accessory.”
View the whole story here: https://www.wionews.com/world/these-biodegradable-facemasks-bloom-into-flowers-when-planted-after-use-372504