EcoDrive Hong Kong has been doing their part to educate the masses about single-use plastics since their founding in 2018, and now, they’ve partnered up with local clothing brand Determinant in a campaign to reduce single-use masks.

While single-use surgical masks have been daily essentials for most people since the Covid-19 pandemic, many haven’t yet realised or taken action against the environmental impact that they have on our planet.

Facts about single-use surgical masks

According to EcoDrive, “single-use face masks are mainly made from a variety of plastic and composite materials that are difficult to recycle due to both composition and risk of contamination and infection. These masks will take hundreds of years to break down, slowly turning into micro plastics and harming marine life and our ecosystems.”

Between four to six million single-use masks are thrown away each day in Hong Kong alone, many of which are disposed of improperly and ending up on our hiking trails and oceans.

Make the switch

To reverse this trend, EcoDrive Hong Kong and Determinant are encouraging people to switch to reusable cloth masks, starting with a campaign video featuring influential personalities.

Those seen in the campaign include #legend100 influencers Joyce Cheng, Jessica Jann, Elva Ni and Alex Lam along with notable personalities like EcoDrive co-founders Emily Lam-Ho and Cissy Wang, Sonalie Figueras (aka. Green Queen) and chef Shane Osborn.

Video: EcoDrive Hong Kong

The masks seen in the video can be purchased on Determinant’s website, and can be reused up to 30 times. Or, consider making a donation to EcoDrive Hong Kong, as any donation over HK$500 will get you a pack of two masks from Determinant to start with.

Learn more at EcoDrive Hong Kong’s website, Facebook page and Instagram

Eco-conscious? Be sure to check out our other story on five of the best reusable cloth masks made in Hong Kong.

See also: Go green, go local: 5 reusable masks to try in Hong Kong