BSI has launched a Kitemark for face coverings. The new Kitemark assesses face coverings to a technical specification that requires 70% particle filtration and breathability tests.

Whilst a vast number of face coverings are already available on the market, their performance and design may differ significantly. Face coverings differ from PPE and medical grade face masks in that they are intended to protect those in close proximity to the wearer, not the wearer themselves.

UK manufacturers, Cookson and Clegg and Rototherm, are amongst the first organisations to be in the final stages of assessment to achieve the BSI Kitemark for Face Coverings. It is expected that the first face coverings with the Kitemark will be available from late July.

Patrick Grant, director of Blackburn-based Cookson & Clegg comments: “Everyone knows the Kitemark and knows that its stands for quality. For 160 years Cookson & Clegg has been in the business of manufacturing the highest quality sewn products for customers from the MoD to Burberry. Throughout this pandemic our factory in Blackburn has been making scrubs, gowns and face coverings for the NHS and others and we are delighted to be one of the first manufacturers to receive the coveted BSI Kitemark for our product.”

Howard Kerr, chief executive of BSI said: “As we continue to pull together as a country to combat the impact of COVID-19, it is important that we all take appropriate measures to protect one another. Whilst a face covering can never provide the same level of personal protection as a PPE or medical grade face mask, it is neither necessary nor appropriate for such products to be diverted to general consumer use. Providing consumers with confidence that their face covering provides some level of protection for those around them will help reduce the spread of the virus whilst we emerge from lockdown.”

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