After sales of business cards took a hit because of stay-at-home orders, a British printing services company with its U.S. headquarters in Boston has found a way to drive revenue by pivoting to another paper-based product.
Moo Inc. has started selling non-surgical paper face masks that it touts as sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic masks.
"Moo designed these masks for businesses and nonprofits: offices, universities, retailers, grocery stores, travel providers, eventually event organizers, etc." Angela Giovanello, a spokesperson for Moo, wrote in an email. "While they can be purchased by consumers, orders start at a minimum of 100."
The masks are printed, packed and made in Moo's manufacturing facility in Lincoln, R.I. The company has 15 employees in Boston and 171 across New England.
Giovanello cited statistics about the impact of disposable masks on the environment, which created a surge in plastic waste. Masks are adding up to 6,240 metric tons of plastic waste into our oceans; paper masks, which are made with fully recyclable cotton paper, would help brands keep employees and customers safe in a planet-friendly way, she said.
In a promotional video, the company says that a test by the Rochester Institute of Technology found similar levels of droplets expulsion with a paper face mask and a disposable plastic mask.
A single Moo paper mask cost $0.99, with a minimum order quantity of 100. Price goes down to $0.39 on orders of 25,000 masks. Disposable fabric masks, by comparison, cost $9.99 for a pack of 50 on Amazon, about $0.20 per mask.
The Moo paper masks require some assembly before being worn. Each mask needs to be removed from its sheet, then its tabs need to be placed in the appropriate slots to give the mask a 3D shape. The sides are made with a kirigami design, which refers to the Japanese art of cutting paper.
