FOLD: Open-Source Emergency PPE for Global Crisis
Designed and globally distributed an open-source DIY face mask during COVID-19's critical early months when PPE shortages threatened lives worldwide. Created accessible, sub-$1 solution using coffee filters, produced multilingual instruction videos, and released everything under Creative Commons license—demonstrating how design can serve humanitarian needs through open knowledge sharing and collective action.
The Crisis
March 2020. COVID-19 spread globally. PPE shortages became critical—especially in developing nations where supply chains collapsed and medical infrastructure strained under demand.
High-end masks needed to go to medical workers who truly required them. But everyone else—billions of people—needed protection and had nothing.
This was a design problem demanding immediate, accessible solution.
The Solution: FOLD
I designed FOLD—an emergency DIY face mask using coffee filters.
Design Principles
Accessible — Materials available globally: coffee filters, rubber bands, paper clips. No specialty suppliers required.
Cheap — Less than 0.70 USD per mask. Affordable even in resource-constrained contexts.
Easy to make — No specialized tools or skills required. Anyone could assemble it.
Functional — Creates seal around face. Disposable paper construction. Researched filtration papers to meet minimum requirements.
Open source — Released under Creative Commons license for free global distribution. No patents, no profit, no barriers.
The Process
Research
I studied filtration papers and mask design principles. While FOLD wasn't medical-grade, research papers suggested it could meet minimum protective requirements for civilian use.
Prototyping
I tested multiple configurations until finding design that:
- Created reliable facial seal
- Allowed comfortable breathing
- Used universally available materials
- Could be assembled in minutes
Documentation
I created instruction videos in three languages: English, Spanish, and Italian—covering major global regions where I had linguistic capability.
Video instruction: youtube.com/watch?v=dejWIZcwyEI
Distribution
Published on Designboom and shared across global design and humanitarian networks. The design spread organically through social media, NGOs, and community organizations.
Thousands made and used FOLD masks in early pandemic months when nothing else was available.
The Philosophy
I wrote at the time:
"It is curious how hardships have the unique power to unite us, destroy boundaries and most importantly to rethink the ways in which we interact with one another. This is a phrase that we all have muttered during this global crisis but: Are we really willing to change our ways? Are we willing to leave aside our deeply rooted individualism to do so? Are we willing to understand that this is a united world where we all have a part to play?"
This pandemic reflected our interconnectedness. If we were worthy of this planet, we needed collective solutions.
I quoted Kropotkin's Mutual Aid:
"Those animals which acquire habits of mutual aid are undoubtedly the fittest. They have more chances to survive, and they attain, in their respective classes, the highest development and bodily organization... mutual aid is as much a law of animal life as mutual struggle; but as a factor of evolution, it most probably has a far greater importance."
I believed—and still believe—that collective action is humanity's greatest evolutionary advantage.
Open Source Commitment
License:
FOLD - DIY Facemask © 2020 by Manuel Echavarria is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
I released FOLD under Creative Commons because:
Knowledge should be free during crisis. Profiting from emergency PPE felt morally wrong.
Global problems need global solutions. Patents and proprietary designs create barriers. Open source removes them.
Iteration requires transparency. I explicitly invited feedback: "I am calling on all of you to send me all your feedback, every piece of knowledge counts."
Testing was needed. I couldn't lab-test filtration capabilities myself. Making the design open allowed others with resources to validate and improve it.
Impact
Global distribution through organic sharing across networks Thousands produced and used in early pandemic months Featured on Designboom and design media Translated and adapted by communities worldwide Demonstrated open-source humanitarian design at scale
What This Represents
Design as humanitarian response. When crisis strikes, designers can contribute meaningfully beyond traditional commercial work.
Open-source knowledge sharing. The most impactful solutions are those anyone can access, replicate, and improve.
Design in service of survival. This wasn't about aesthetics or innovation for its own sake. It was about keeping people alive.
Collective action through individual contribution. One person with design skills, a camera, and internet connection could reach millions.
Reflection
FOLD wasn't perfect. It wasn't medical-grade. It was a last-resort solution for desperate times.
But it was available when nothing else was. It was accessible to anyone, anywhere. It demonstrated that design can serve humanity's urgent needs when we prioritize collective good over individual gain.
This project remains one of the most meaningful things I've created—not because of its sophistication, but because of its simplicity, accessibility, and service to global need.