Hyosung, the world’s largest producer of spandex, has repurposed its facilities to increase the supply of creora® spandex, to aid global face mask production.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it overwhelming demand for face masks. Spandex is a key ingredient in the manufacture of what has become an essential accessory for everyone today. Spandex is primarily used for making the ear loops and head straps to make the mask fit properly and comfortably on the face.
While the majority of face mask production is in China, a growing number of consumer apparel and accessory manufacturers around the world have also commenced production of face masks to help with the PPE shortage. This surge in production has made face mask component supplies, such as ear loops, scarce.
According to Mike Simko, Hyosung Global Marketing Director – Textiles, the company has converted creora® spandex yarn production to increase supply to the global mask market by 20 times.
“This production can make ear loops for several billion face masks per month, which will be a significant help to our customers’ production needs. We’ve been fortunate to keep our spandex production operating in all of our international plants to serve local and global communities,” he adds.