300,000 masks to protect non-medical workers providing essential services

A public-private network promoted by Barcelona Activa is to produce 300,000 cloth masks to protect staff providing non-medical essential services. The goal is to exploit the potential of the city’s economic network, reactivate it and reduce the dependency on overseas markets when it comes to the supply of this type of materials.

10/04/2020 10:57 h

Ajuntament de Barcelona

The network has purchased over 17,500 metres of specific approved fabrics from three companies in Badalona, Blanes and Rubí. The fabric has been distributed to 200 points providing needlework services in the metropolitan area, including self-employed workers, solidarity entities with their own sewing machines, small textile workshops and industrial companies linked to the RevESStim programme.

The template and the procedure used are based on a video tutorial by the company Robin Hat, which has become popular on social media.

Once the masks are made, they go to one of various launderettes and are washed at temperatures of over 60%. Some of the masks can be reused if they are washed again at this temperature and will withstand up to 100 washes.

Once washed, the masks are stored at the Nou Barris Technology Park, from where they are distributed to groups of end-users.

The project involves an investment of 400,000 euros. Besides providing non-medical essential workers with protection, the initiative will help reactivate the economic activity of textile businesses and companies in the transport, logistics and cleaning sectors.

The masks are being produced in addition to the protective materials from abroad, provided through municipal purchasing and donations from Chinese and South Korean cities.

Companies taking part in the project

Textile providers: Rebes SL, Nylstar SL and Robin Hat.

Logistics companies: Mensakas, Solidança and La Mallorquina.

Laundry services: Fundació Roure, Fundació Canigó, Mirallers, Union de Bugaderies de Catalunya and Bugaderia Intraberry with support from Girbau.

 

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