Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
04 July 2024 | 14:03 CAT

Mozambique 2024 © Lourino Pelembe/MSF RELATED

Doctors Without Borders has launched an initiative to find alternatives to single-use surgical face masks. The health sector is responsible for around 5% of carbon emissions worldwide, with single-use medical items constituting an important share. Within MSF, they account for nearly 12% of the emissions of products purchased.

Radio Islam International discussed the initiative with MSF’s Sustainable Supply Chain Coordinator, Corentine Berthet.

“We can’t have healthy people on a sick planet, the practices that we implement are part of this impact which is what drives the initiative,” says Berthet.

“We went from using some 50,000 masks per year in 2011 to over 500,000 in 2023,” said Dr Monica Rull, medical director of the MSF’s operational centre in Geneva, Switzerland. “Knowing that our own practices contribute to harming the environment—and therefore also the very people we aim to assist, we were aware that we would have to find another way.”

In June 2023, MSF medical teams in Mozambique and Kyrgyzstan started a pilot initiative to replace single-use surgical masks with washable masks that can be used up to 40 times.

The objective was to compare the environmental impact of the single-use mask versus the new reusable version and determine whether the latter can work logistically in the different settings in which MSF works.

In partnership with the Technische Universität Berlin, MSF carried out a life-cycle assessment of the masks “from cradle to grave”—covering the material used to produce and package the masks, transport them to the manufacturing facility and the point of use, any eventual reprocessing, and final disposal.

According to MSF, the life-cycle assessment of the masks’ from cradle to grave’ revealed that the reusable mask significantly outperformed the single-use model. This is a significant step towards reducing the environmental impact of the health sector.

MSF staff, who are at the forefront of healthcare, also generally preferred the reusable mask, citing its comfort as a key factor. This practical benefit adds to the appeal of the sustainable alternative.

“Every effort counts. Changing just one mask won’t make a difference, but changing many masks will,” MSF stated.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie and Corentine Berthet here.