Coronavirus Mask
Decisions
February 23, 2021
Renfro Estimates
the Sock Market at $50 Billion
or Less Than 25% of the Mask
Market
Hanes Surgical Mask Receives FDA Authorization
Highly Efficient Masks Greatly
Increase In-Flight Safety.
Ahlstrom- Munksjö's Cellulose Based Media Used as Coverstock for Civil Face Masks
Magnum Health and Safety
Produces 1.5 Million Masks per
Day for India and Export
Venus Safety and
Health is an Indian Manufacturer
Focusing on Respirators for
Industrial Hygiene
______________________________________________________________________________
Renfro Estimates
the Sock Market at $50 Billion
or Less Than 25% of the Mask
Market
Founded in 1921,
US-based Renfro Brands is a
leading designer, manufacturer,
and marketer of socks and
legwear products. Since its
inception, the company claims to
have pioneered some of the
earliest innovations in sock
manufacturing, from
standardizing sock sizes to
eliminating toe seams. In a chat
with Fibre2Fashion, Stan Jewell,
CEO & president of Renfro
Brands, discussed the changes in
the sock industry, what makes
Renfro a unique sock company in
the US, and the launch of its
new marketplace - Loops & Wales.
Jewell was asked about the
market “Various research firms
estimate that the world socks
and tights/leggings market is a
$50 billion industry and they
project ~8 per cent expected
CAGR for the next five years. We
believe Renfro is one of largest
sock companies and possibly the
largest standalone sock company
in the US. It is difficult to
determine exact market share but
we estimate our share of the US
market at roughly 15 per cent.”
Renfro entered the mask market
last year. Since the present
mask market is more than four
times larger than the sock
market, it would seem to be a
good decision for Renfro to
continue to pursue this market.
Hanes Surgical Mask Receives FDA Authorization
A proprietary surgical face mask
developed by HanesBrands with
North Carolina State University,
the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill and UNC Health
has been authorized by the US
Food and Drug Administration for
use by health care professionals
as personal protective
equipment.
The two-ply, single-use surgical
mask features a unique fabric
developed by NC State’s
Nonwovens Institute combined
with a fit design created in
collaboration with UNC-Chapel
Hill and NC State biomedical
engineers and UNC Health
infection prevention experts.
It uses a duckbill shape for
better breathability, a wire
nosepiece and foam insert to
enhance a contoured fit, and
placement of stretchable straps
for a secure fit. UNC Health
tested the masks to assure they
meet FDA particulate filtration
standards and OSHA respiratory
protection program requirements.
“We are delighted to have this
mask added to the FDA’s
Emergency Use Authorization for
surgical masks during the
COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mike
Abbott, HanesBrands’ director of
research and development. “It is
a testament to the ingenuity and
collaboration of our university
partners and our R&D team to
quickly develop a much-needed
mask that is high quality,
affordable and comfortable for
health care professionals.”
The FDA issued its Emergency Use
Authorization for surgical masks
in response to concerns relating
to the insufficient supply and
availability of disposable
single-use surgical masks that
provide a physical barrier to
fluids and respiratory droplets.
The use of unique spunbond
fabric developed by the
Nonwovens Institute eliminates
the need for a third filtration
layer for cost efficiency and
filtering effectiveness. The
spun-bond fabric is composed of
two different polymer materials
to make a single fibre that has
significant strength and bulk
that is as effective in
filtration as current materials
on the market.
“The Nonwovens Institute is
proud to be a part of this
collaboration to ensure that
high-quality and affordable
protective gear remains
available to frontline health
care workers during the
pandemic,” said Dr Behnam
Pourdeyhimi, executive director
of the Nonwovens Institute at NC
State.
The Hanes mask was added to the
FDA Emergency Use Authorization
after meeting FDA requirements
for fluid resistance (ASTM
F1862), flammability
performance, particulate
filtration (ASTM F2100), and
breathability (ASTM F2100).
UNC Health’s testing, supported
by the UNC School of Medicine
Center for Environmental
Medicine, Asthma, and Lung
Biology and the US Environmental
Protection Agency Human Studies
Facility in Chapel Hill,
demonstrated the masks exceeded
expected performance levels and
has used the masks in targeted
clinical settings.
“We provided the Hanes mask to
clinical areas concerned with
protection during specific
clinical encounters where N95
respirators are not recommended
but the risk of Covid-19
exposure is perceived to be
high,” said UNC Health’s Dr.
Emily Sickbert-Bennett, director
of infection prevention at UNC
Medical Center in Chapel Hill.
“The Hanes mask made these
providers feel safe and well
protected. I expect we will
broaden use of the Hanes mask
given the degree of protection
it provides.”
The company is selling the
surgical masks to health care
organizations for use by
professionals in health care
settings. Separately, the
company is selling all-cotton
and polyester blend face masks
for consumers under its Hanes
and Champion brands that are
available online, in leading
retail stores and in company
outlet stores.
The US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
recommends the wearing of cloth
face coverings to help prevent
the spread of COVID-19,
especially when social
distancing cannot be practiced.
Emerging evidence indicates face
coverings act as barriers to the
dispersion of respiratory
droplets when worn over the
mouth and nose.
In accordance with the FDA
surgical mask Emergency Use
Authorization, HanesBrands’
disposable, single-use surgical
masks:
-
Have not been
FDA cleared or
approved.
-
Have been
authorized by
FDA under an EUA
for use in
health care
settings by
health care
personnel to
provide a
physical barrier
to fluids and
particulate
materials to
prevent health
care personnel
exposure to
respiratory
droplets and
large particles
during surgical
mask shortages
resulting from
the COVID-19
pandemic.
-
Are authorized
only for the
duration of the
declaration that
circumstances
exist justifying
the
authorization of
the emergency
use of medical
devices,
including
alternative
products used as
medical devices,
during the
COVID-19
outbreak, under
section
564(b)(1) of the
Act, 21 U.S.C.
Section
360bbb-3(b)(1),
unless the
authorization is
terminated or
revoked sooner.
In accordance with the FDA face
coverings Emergency Use
Authorization, HanesBrands’
government cloth face coverings
and consumer face masks:
-
Have not been
FDA cleared or
approved.
-
Have been
authorized by
the FDA under an
EUA for use by
health care
professionals as
personal
protective
equipment to
help prevent the
spread of
infection or
illness in
health care
settings and by
the general
public to help
slow the spread
of the virus
during the
COVID-19
pandemic.
-
Are authorized
only for the
duration of the
declaration that
circumstances
exist justifying
the
authorization of
the emergency
use of medical
devices,
including
alternative
products used as
medical devices,
during the
COVID-19
outbreak, under
section
564(b)(1) of the
Act, 21 U.S.C.
Section
360bbb-3(b)(1)
unless the
authorization is
terminated or
revoked sooner.
HanesBrands is a leading
marketer of everyday basic
innerwear and activewear
apparel. The company sells its
products under some of the
world’s strongest apparel
brands, including Hanes,
Champion, Bonds, DIM, Maidenform,
Bali, Playtex, Lovable, Bras N
Things, Nur Die/Nur Der,
Alternative, L’eggs, JMS/Just My
Size, Wonderbra, Berlei, and
Gear for Sports. A Fortune 500
company and member of the S&P
500 stock index, Hanes has
approximately 63,000 employees
in more than 40 countries.
Highly
Efficient Masks Greatly Increase
In-Flight Safety.
The MID-AFT cabin exhibits the
highest infection probability.
The calculated maximum
individual infection probability
(without masks) for a 2-hour
flight in this section varies
from 4.5% for the ‘Mild
Scenario’ to 60.2% for the
‘Severe Scenario’ although the
corresponding average infection
probability varies from 0.1% to
2.5%.
For a 12-hour flight, the
corresponding maximum individual
infection probability varies
from 24.1% to 99.6% and the
average infection probability
varies from 0.8% to 10.8%. If
all passengers wear face masks
throughout the 12-hour flight,
the average infection
probability can be reduced by
approximately 73%/32% for
high/low efficiency masks. If
face masks are worn by all
passengers except during a
one-hour meal service, the
average infection probability is
increased by 59%/8% compared to
the situation where the mask is
not removed.
Ahlstrom- Munksjö's Cellulose Based Media Used as Coverstock for
Civil Face Masks
Ahlstrom-Munksjö's new TenderGuard product portfolio consists of
remarkably soft, comfortable,
and protective fabrics. TenderGuard
BioBased and BioFilter fabrics
are designed for civil use and
source control for infectious
disease. They are biodegradable
and compostable under controlled
conditions according to European
Norm EN13432. TenderGuard
Natural and Smooth fabrics are
designed for medical face masks.
They are protective,
hypoallergenic, and
environmentally friendly.
TenderGuard BioBased can be used
as an inner or outer coverstock
layer of a civil face mask. It
is highly breathable,
biocompatible, and
non-irritating, so it's gentle
on the skin and comfortable to
wear for long durations. Mainly
comprised of polylactic acid,
which is a biopolymer made from
sustainable and renewable
sources, TenderGuard BioBased is
an alternative to synthetic
spunbond material.
TenderGuard BioFilter is a
sustainable filter media that
can be used as a single layer or
combined as a double layer for
higher filtration performance in
a barrier face covering. This
unique fabric is made up of a
special blend of cellulosic and
cellulose-based manmade fibers
making the filter media 100%
bio-based.
"Using technology from our
business and the expertise of
the medical product development
team, we were able to advance
product functionality in our
smart fiber-based solutions.
Having products that are
sustainable, renewable, and
biocompatible allows for the
opportunity to provide
environmentally friendly
options," comments Stuart Nixon,
VP, Beverage and Casing,
Ahlstrom-Munksjö.
The TenderGuard product
portfolio consists of protective
fabrics applicable for medical
use as well. TenderGuard Natural
is a wetlaid fabric that can be
used as the inner or outer layer
of a face mask. It is
environmentally friendly, and
the hypoallergic inner layer
makes it super soft for the
wearer. With both layers
together, TenderGuard Natural
achieves nearly 50% Bacterial
Filtration Efficiency, which is
remarkable without a filtration
layer included.
TenderGuard Smooth consists of
bicomponent spunbond fabrics
that are made with a proprietary
technology that minimizes raised
fibers. This creates a smooth
surface to help eliminate any
skin irritation, which is
essential when it comes to a
face mask. TenderGuard Smooth
is hypoallergenic, so it is
gentler on the skin, making it
ideal to wear for long
durations.
Magnum Health and Safety
Produces 1.5 Million Masks per
Day for India and Export
Magnum Health & Safety P. Ltd.
is Manufacturer & Exporter of
N-95 mask, PE and non-woven shoe
cover, swine flu mask, dust
mask, tie mask, disposable mask,
ear loop mask, bouffant caps,
face mask & surgical mask in
Mumbai, India.
Magnum Has in house product
testing equipment for N-95
Masks, Swine flu mask, Dust
Mask, Tie mask, Disposable mask,
Earloop mask complying with
NIOSH, CE and ISI Standard.
At present Magnum has more than
400 customers all over India
covering 60 cities and a daily
production capacity of 1.5
million pcs. Products are also
exported to USA, South Africa,
Mauritius, Mexico, Ukraine,
Tunisia & Vietnam.
Magnum has ISO Certification &
CE Marking on all their products
complying with European
Standards.
Other products are as follows: N
95 Masks, PE and non-woven shoe
cover, dust mask, filtering half
mask, swine flu mask, tie mask,
disposable mask, bouffant caps,
face mask, and ear loop mask.
Venus Safety and Health is an Indian Manufacturer
Focusing on Respirators for
Industrial Hygiene
Venus Safety & Health Pvt. Ltd. is a global
supplier
of
Neck-up Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE). It has grown
substantially in volume and
revenues since its inception in
1986.
It has a large manufacturing
capacity in Navi Mumbai, India
.
The processes and procedures in Venus
manufacturing plants have been
certified in accordance with ISO
9001:2015 and are audited
annually by BUREAU VERITAS.
The certified facilities produce and
supply products conforming to:
|
American Standards |
42 CFR Part 84 |
|
European Standards |
EN 149 EN 140 EN 143 EN 14387 |
|
Indian Standards |
IS 9473 IS 14746 IS 14166 IS 15323 IS 10245(II) IS 10245(III) IS 2925 IS 9167 IS 5983 IS 15322 IS 1628 |
