Volvo Car Malaysia worked with local communities to create these batik-themed facemasks.
The pandemic has hit many local communities hard. In an effort to help out the little guy, Volvo Car Malaysia has paired up with Three Little Ahmands and NanoTextile to create a collection of batik-themed anti-microbial facemasks that are reusable with replaceable PM2.5 filters.
Three Little Ahmads is a Malaysian children’s clothing brand that relies on single mothers, women in rural neighbourhoods and GIATMara vocational alumnus. These women suffered job losses from factory closures during MCO. Volvo Cars’ initiative has helped them earn a decent income.
The facemasks can be purchased from Volvo Cars dealerships nationwide at RM99 for a pack of 3. These masks are handmade from 100% cotton. They’re anti-bacterial, water-repellent. They are available in medium and large sizes in three colours.
Here’s the press release with more.
PRESS RELEASE
Volvo Car Malaysia, Three Little Ahmads and NanoTextile have come together to launch a collection of anti-microbial facemasks, known collectively as the ‘Volvo Batik Reusable Facemasks’. In addition to bringing more sustainable alternatives to disposable facemasks, the project employs the workmanship of local communities to support their livelihoods after facing unemployment and adversities due to the pandemic.
Locally designed by Three Little Ahmads – a Malaysian-founded children’s clothing brand and social enterprise – the facemasks are ethically sourced, made and produced by single mothers, women in rural neighbourhoods and GIATMara vocational alumnus, whose jobs were displaced due to retail factory closures during the Malaysian Movement Control Order in March 2020, resulting in some of them having to pawn off the jewellery they had received as dowries to make ends meet.
Hence, for each face mask produced, an individual from this target community group is fairly compensated. To date, the income from the production of these facemasks have not only provided these women with a stable source of income but also earned them enough to buy back all their jewellery from the pawnshop.
Sustainable and Fashionable ‘Omtanke’ also defines Volvo’s approach to sustainability, where its care for others extends to the planet as well. As an automotive company with one of the most ambitious climate goals in the industry, Volvo Cars is committed to protecting and improving the environment and wider society. One of the impending environmental concerns to come out from the current pandemic is the disposal of single-use surgical masks, which could end up in the landfill or the oceans as nano-plastics.
Recognising disposable masks as a fast-growing environmental concern, the three-way partnership produces reusable fabric facemasks with a unique Batik Tekap pattern as a tribute to the Malaysian art heritage.
Thoughtfully-made with Technology
Each facemask made with the wearer’s health in mind. Thoughtfully designed and assembled by hand, each mask is made up of 100 per cent cotton, anti-bacterial, water-repellent and provides bacterial and viral protection up to 100 gentle washes.
NanoTextile, the company behind the facemask’s anti-bacterial qualities, is a progressive textile company in Malaysia that offers leading technology solutions in textile production.
Taking into account cost, production wastage, product lifespan and potential health risks, NanoTextile employs nanotechnology to reduce the penetration of contaminated droplets and prevent possible infection of the fabric by viruses or bacteria. The addition of a PM 2.5 filter provides a fifth layer of protection and is tested to effectively filter out 90 per cent of viral
particles.
The Volvo Batik Reusable Facemasks comes in a set of three, with two available size options – medium and large. Each set comes in three colour variations, which are Dark Blue (sunflower), Navy Blue (stargazer lily), and Sky Blue (jasmine). Retailing at RM99 per set, the facemasks are currently available for purchase at Volvo dealerships nationwide.
For more information about the Volvo Batik Reusable Facemasks, please visit https://www.volvocars.com/my/volvo-branded-face-mask or follow Volvo Car Malaysia on Facebook http://bit.ly/VolvoMY-FB and Instagram http://bit.ly/VolvoMY-IG for more updates.
