Proudly South African venture firm Inex has developed a cost-effective sustainable, reusable face mask for both industrial and personal use as South Africa continues its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Inex Sola MR2 offers maximum protection on both inhale and exhale, with a soft thermoplastic elastomer, or TPE, face seal ensuring an airtight fit that prevents air leakage in or out.

The durable mask, equipped with a sophisticated filtration system, uses an elaborate flow path that prevents moisture droplets from passing through the filter casing.

“The Inex mask offers 99.99% antiviral efficacy through inexpensive disposable nonwoven filters, made from the same textiles found in FFP2 or KN95 masks, in the Breathetex filters, and RFT nanofibre technology filter options,” the team behind the masks say.

Current regulations require a filtration efficiency of 75% for particles that are 5 μm in size or larger.

“Given the performance of Inex’s RFT filters offering 99.99% filtration efficiency, there is simply no product that can compete with it,” Inex notes.

Inex RFT filters are made from electrospun polyvinylidene-fluoride, which is hydrophobic (repels water) and oleophobic (repels oil), maintaining maximum filtration efficiency if contact with these materials occurs.

The design of the Inex Sola MR2 also ensures that the disposable filter does not come into contact with the user’s skin, which prevents any sweat from touching the filter.

A unique antifogging design also ensures the tight seal directs the exhale path out through the respirator, eliminating condensation on glasses or safety goggles.

Inex points out that, with the need for only one hard-to-break and easy-to-clean reusable Inex mask, users are reducing their carbon footprint and decreasing environmental impacts, as well as saving costs.

“Compared with disposable masks, which require replacement every day at an average cost of R25 a day per mask, the Inex mask is only R149.95 one-off, with replacement filters costing R1, offering the most cost-effective protection on the market.”

Comparatively, replacing disposable masks on a daily basis could cost up to R1 200 a month for each employee, depending on the cost per mask, while the Inex Sola MR2 costs R179.95 for the first month, including the cost of the mask, for each employee.

Further, the Inex reusable face mask and its packaging are made from recyclable materials and all components are designed, sourced and manufactured in South Africa.