Yesterday, the Governor of Mississippi enacted a mask mandate in 13 Mississippi counties, including two of our three Coastal Mississippi counties.

Now that masks are mandatory in public places in the most populated areas of Mississippi, we see a growing need for employers, schools, and retailers to make larger quantities of masks available for everyday wear that aligns with the national industry trends toward PPE as the most popular promo items.

Search and buying trends in the U.S. promotional industry swung dramatically in the direction of PPE (personal protective equipment) beginning in March and have shown no signs of swinging back to normalcy yet. PPE items (such as face masks, hand sanitizer, and bandannas) have ousted pens as the most in-demand promo items, and the statistics don’t lie.

What’s the takeaway for business owners? If you aren’t advertising your brand on face masks, your competitors are – or they soon will be.

Fortunately, renowned suppliers like Next Level Apparel are rising to the challenge by ramping up both production and innovation of crucial PPE items.

We just learned that one of our go-to recommendations for a screen-printed mask, the Next Level Eco Face Mask, is not only comfortable for all-day wear, eco-friendly, and socially-conscious, it also has received an astounding 93.6% Particle Filtration Efficiency (PFE) rating to protect against particles and viruses.

This is an almost unheard of rating for a non-medical mask which was tested by an accredited, independent laboratory using the STP0005 standard based on ASTM.

“At Next Level, we recognize the difficulties businesses are facing as they navigate this new normal environment, so we’ve expanded our tee business to include face masks and neck gaiters made from the same great Next Level fabrics you’ve come to know and love,” said Joe Simsolo, Next Level founder and CEO. “We hope these products can help keep employees safe during these challenging times."

Next Level Apparel offers a variety of styles, in addition to the sustainable and reusable Eco Face Masks, made from the same material as their Eco Performance Tees. Each moisture-wicking mask is made with a tearaway label made from approximately one recycled poly (RPET) water bottle and consists of 40% recycled polyester, 30% recycled cotton and 30% regular cotton and has a 93.6% Particle Filtration Efficiency (PFE) rating. 

Perhaps the best part? A portion of all mask proceeds will benefit City of Hope, a comprehensive research and treatment center for cancer and other serious diseases, including COVID-19. That means you can put your brand at center of every conversation, fulfill your customer and employees’ needs for these life-saving essentials today, and contribute to crucial cure-finding research at the same time.