Seattle, WA, April 30, 2020 – PackTowl®, the maker of the best-selling quick-drying microfiber towels on the market, will transition their Reno, Nevada factory into a production facility for non-medical grade cloth masks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that the public wear cloth masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19, as masks help combat community-based transmission and reserve medical-grade PPE for frontline responders. Cascade Design’s Seattle factory has been fashioning PackTowl masks for their workers to wear while they focus on manufacturing Level 1 surgical masks for health care workers. As of April 30th, our Seattle production team surpassed 100,000 Level 1 surgical masks. These masks are headed to 51 Providence Hospitals, as part of their 100 million mask challenge.
Simultaneously, the need for consumer masks continues to grow and thus, the company has officially transitioned its Reno manufacturing to focus on producing masks for the public. Each PackTowl mask is made using the brand’s UltraLite fabric, which is composed of layers of tangled microfibers so dense that they’re tighter than a standard cotton weave. This same base material, a nonwoven polyester blend, is often used in allergy-reduction HVAC filters, and sits comfortably against the skin while drying quickly.
For every $5 PackTowl mask sold, Cascade Designs is donating $1 to the CDP COVID-19 Response Fund. The fund is dedicated to supporting nonprofit organizations working to assist vulnerable populations, as well as those increasing access to water, sanitation and hygiene to help slow the spread.
“The COVID-19 crisis is still rapidly evolving, and we continue to adapt our production to meet the most urgent needs. As a Washington-based manufacturer, we were significantly impacted by the inability to produce our outdoor gear. Fortunately, we’ve been able to flex the excess capacity of our highly nimble and skilled workforce to make medical-grade PPE masks,” said Doug Sanders, vice president of Medical and Military at CDI. “Now, by pivoting to make consumer masks we hope to help fight this disease further up the line by providing the public with masks to help limit the number of new infections and further reduce the risk to our frontline medical workers.”
The PackTowl face masks are not replacements for medical-grade surgical or N95 masks and are not intended to replace other recommended measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.
For more information about Cascade Designs, please visit cascadedesigns.com.
