The Mission
Eliminate respiratory problems caused by street-level air pollution in developing nations.
The Problem
City dwellers in developing nations (3 billion people) are consistently exposed to harmful air pollution on a day-to-day basis, which reduces life expectancy by 10 years due to preventable respiratory issues.
Insight
People in developing nations do want to protect themselves from harmful air pollution, and are even more likely to do so when it is considered fashionable and desirable. While a variety of cheap masks are available on the market, they are not worn for a variety of reasons. Current masks are ineffective because:
-Too expensive – A mask with an activated carbon filter is 1/5 of average daily income and needs to be replaced daily.
-Pollution – Masks are worn and discarded daily and fill the streets with litter.
-Culturally Taboo – Some cultures find it hard to transition to wearing masks consistently.
-Not packable – Many shop owners have limited shop space and can’t sacrifice shelf space for emerging bulky products.
-Single use economy – Much of the developing world buys products for pennies or less; so products must sell and be produced for the single use economy.
The Product
The Canary: A flat-packing design that folds into a fashionable mask that can be easily customized for effectiveness and appearance by the user. The mask relies on a single-use, activated carbon sticker to provide filtration. The sticker is replaced daily and the mask is replaced every 90 days.
Sustainable:
-The life of the mask is up to 90 days longer then the competitor. The difference in waste of 90 use-once masks to the Canary is 45 sq. ft. of filtering material saved.
- The mask can be any number of biodegradable plastics and has a potential for longer life cycles for different uses.
Wearable:
-Folds of the mask form a comfortable nose bridge.
-The mask forms a tight seal around the mouth without any discomfort
-Plastic is clear, more aesthetically pleasing and less of a social barrier
Easy-to-manufacture:
-One die cut stamp
-One die cut sticker filter
Opportunity
Reduce preventable respiratory infections while also capturing a market with over $100 million (USD) market potential by providing a wearable, packable, effective, sustainable mask.
Competitive Advantage and Immunity
Agility: The patent-pending product is agile because the sticker design can adapt to the market and culture around it.
Cost: Because of the mask’s flat-packing design it can be shipped at a high volume with very low cost rapidly and to any market around the world.
Wear-ability and trends: Wearing this mask the user can express themselves and their personalities with different sticker images.
Market and Customers
This is a 3 billion plus, daily user market. The average user makes a daily trip to the market to purchase single use soaps, toothpaste and detergents. This mask mirrors the Gillette model, where the mask is sold at cost and the filters are sold in daily increments for a profit.
Competition
Competitors essentially sell 7 to 10 filters in one purchase and at 40 to 50 times the price. An N-95 mask is sold for 50 cents and provides filtration for one day while most of the filtering material is not being used.
Development and Growth Strategy
The Canary can enter the market directly through vendors because it parallels other products in developing nations with the single use model. Schools, hospitals and labor safety groups will be able to lower and treat respiratory problems effectively and at a lower cost then medication or more costly masks.
Development Impact
This mask is a tool for the individual to take direct action in their own health and the health of loved ones. With regular use it will immediately curb emergency room visits and save millions in healthcare costs. For communities that already use masks regularly it will increase the life of a mask by 90 days, thus preventing 89 masks from being discarded per user.
