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It has become part of everyday life on the streets: the protective mask. Because if you want to protect yourself and others from infection, you wear a mask. And in many places it is a must. But what about the environmental impact? Greenpeace recently asked the Federal Council to recommend washable and reusable cloth masks for environmental reasons.
But are cloth masks really better for the environment? Researchers at Empa, the Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Testing, have examined the life cycle assessment of different masks and compared disposable surgical masks to cloth masks made from cotton. The balance of greenhouse gases, energy consumption, water consumption and the total environmental impact (expressed in the so-called environmental impact points, UBP) of the production, use and disposal of the masks were calculated.
The disposable mask is still in front
Effects were examined for a person who uses public transportation to go to work every day for a week and makes three shopping trips. According to the recommendations of the Corona Task Force, this person wears two cloth masks per week, which are washed at 60 ° C after use and discarded after washing five times, or 13 polypropylene disposable surgical masks.
Calculations show that cotton cloth masks perform better than surgical masks in terms of energy consumption and greenhouse gas balance. In contrast, the surgical mask performs better than its cotton counterpart in terms of water consumption and overall environmental impact. “The reason for this is less sustainable and resource-intensive cotton production,” says Empa researcher Roland Hischier.
Cotton has production disadvantages
Because water consumption is extremely high for cotton due to irrigation, fertilization and use of pesticides. “If it depended on regions with a high proportion of rain irrigation and organic cotton or even recycled cotton for production, the so-called water footprint of cotton masks would look much better,” says Hischier.
The washing of cloth masks, on the other hand, is insignificant compared to production. “This means that the greatest leverage effect lies in the useful life of the fabric masks, since most of the environmental impact comes from the manufacture of this mask.”
Best masks you can wash frequently
In a second step, the researchers analyzed the effects of various options in mask design that can reduce environmental pollution. It turned out that the service life of fabric masks has the greatest influence. From a size of around 20 washes, the cotton mask is not only ahead in terms of energy consumption and greenhouse gas balance, but also in terms of overall environmental pollution. “There are manufacturers that already allow 20 or more washes per mask,” says Melanie Schmutz, lead author of the study.
Some of the fabric masks certified according to the requirements of the working group are made from other materials, for example polyester, which will have a different impact on the environment than cotton. This first life cycle assessment study cannot make any claims about these masks.
And what about littering with masks?
Next, the researchers plan to incorporate additional factors into the life cycle assessment, such as other materials for fabric masks, antiviral and / or antibacterial coatings that can also increase wear time between washes and thus further improve their ecological sustainability. or packaging that has a different status for surgical masks sold individually than for large packages.
“Another point that is often discussed is the environmental contamination of masks that are not disposed of correctly,” says Empa researcher Claudia Som. It should be clarified how relevant this is to the environment and whether, for example, the Bio-compostable masks help reduce pollution. (sf)
