Opinion | Hong Kong’s reusable masks should be lauded for reinvigorating the ‘Made in Hong Kong’ brand

Name: Hong Kong to distribute reusable masks, relax coronavirus restrictions
Uploaded: 2020-05-23T08:30:10.000Z
Duration: 2 min 30 s
Description: Hong Kong to distribute reusable masks, relax coronavirus restrictions

Though CuMask+ did not come in time for the worst of Hong Kong’s mask shortage and is largely not made locally, it is nonetheless a showcase of Hong Kong innovation and a feat of industrial cooperation in a city with no longer much of a manufacturing base

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A media tour of Novetex Textiles in Tai Po, Hong Kong, gives photojournalists a glimpse of the production of CuMask+. Most of the masks are being made at a facility in Vietnam, while the the rest are assembled, disinfected and packed at three local facilities, including Novetex Textiles. Photo: Robert Ng

Amy Liu Mei Heung

Published: 4:30pm, 23 May 2020Updated: 6:17pm, 23 May 2020

As most of the world still struggle to find enough protective masks to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the launch of the Hong Kong government’s free reusable masks earlier this month for the entire population should have been welcomed with open arms. But one of the main criticisms is: why so late?

While the free masks would have been more appreciated at the start of the outbreak early this year, when mask shortage was at its worst, we need to understand that the mask is actually a Hong Kong innovation that was at prototype stage and not yet a commercial product. A prototype needs to go through many stages before becoming a commercial product.

Unlike common disposable masks, the CuMask+ is an innovation. It can be washed and reused 60 times, with two layers containing copper to immobilise bacteria, common viruses and other harmful substances.

The prototype, developed by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), was awarded a gold medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in 2018, with further improvements made later.

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Hong Kong to distribute reusable masks, relax coronavirus restrictions

While winning an award is always a big achievement for an innovation, it is not the end of the story. Often, it is the start of a long journey towards commercialisation. Turning prototypes into commercial products depends on whether investors can be found and whether there is a promising market.