TELLUS: A BUSINESS DRIVING THE WORLD’S TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS

Abstract

Tellus is a business founded in the HNRS 2000/3000 courses with a mission of driving the world’s transition to eco-friendly products. Initially, Tellus targeted the waste generated by plastics in the medical field, such as otoscope specula; however, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tellus pivoted to tackle a more prevalent issue - the waste generated by PPE. Preliminary research revealed that “around 75% of the used masks, as well as other pandemic-related waste, will end up in landfills, or floating in the seas” (“Five Things,” 2020). Furthermore, it was found that surgical masks contribute to microplastics in the environment, and cloth masks release harmful dyes, chemicals, and methane when sitting in the landfill (Fadare & Okoffo, 2020; Rossignol, 2014). Acknowledging this fact, Tellus hypothesized that if biodegradable facemasks are introduced into the mask market, then the environmental harm caused by facemasks will be significantly reduced. Therefore, in order to begin its impact, our team, Tellus, took initiative through our HNRS 4500/4550 courses and third-party programs to introduce biodegradable, disposable face coverings called Tellus Masks into the mask industry. Throughout this process, it was discovered that there is a desire for biodegradable facemasks, but given they are made of high-quality wood pulp, there are concerns about their effectiveness. Moreover, our attempts to acquire funding were unsuccessful, which inhibited us from completing a manufacturing run. With this being said, future attempts should focus more on marketing the quality of Tellus Masks and expend more effort on obtaining seed money.