Environmental Impact

We expect our mask to have a very positive environmental impact wherever it is used. By cutting down on the use of polypropylene in traditional N95 masks, the GREEN-95 will be great for the environment. For a bioplastic to work well environmentally, it needs to be biodegradable in a relatively short amount of time. Additionally, the sources of the base materials need to be more sustainable than current plastics, which come from petroleum products. In terms of the environment, in order to create a viable bioplastic, it needs to be easily biodegradable in the environment. Additionally, its ingredients also need to be environmentally friendly, meaning they are sustainably sourced and renewable. Based on the bioplastic recipe we used, we expect this to be the case. The industrial production of paper is noted to have a high carbon footprint and involves several non-eco-friendly steps, including use of dangerous chemicals, deforestation, significant water usage, production of chemical waste, and production of methane by landfilled paper. Our methods address several of these environmental concerns. In particular, we use no dangerous chemicals and will not be contributing to deforestation. We will also be recycling our paper to ensure it doesn’t end up in a landfill. However, the significant water usage is a concern we do not have an immediate solution for. A series of biodegradability tests would need to be administered to test how well the product breaks down. For example, testing conditions like: leaving the paper in water, burying it, leaving, and exposing it to the elements are possible tests that could be used. Barring water use, there are no inherently environmentally unfriendly parts to our process.