Etsy’s COVID-19 Response: Getting 100K Face Masks to Those Who Need It Most
When COVID-19’s repercussions were first rippling through society, we thought carefully about how Etsy could make a constructive and considerate impact in our community.
After the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended nationwide mask usage in early April, Etsy quickly became a go-to platform for handmade, non-medical masks, and in April alone, our sellers were able to deliver 12 million masks around the world. But even before that, back in March, we saw an immediate need for cloth face masks for personal use that would allow more medical- and surgical-grade masks to reach the front-line healthcare workers who need them most. Knowing we had millions of makers with the skills and materials to produce handmade face masks, we mobilized our sellers and equipped them with guidelines and resources for listing masks responsibly and in line with Etsy policies.
While many government and relief organizations required approved medical equipment meeting federal safety and testing regulations, fabric face masks could solve overlooked needs in specific communities.
We wanted to understand what protective equipment was still needed, the types of patterns and materials to recommend, and the communities that required the most support. We spoke with national COVID-19 coalitions, state and local government agencies, non-profit organizations, hospitals and other organizations on the front lines and found that handmade masks could be used as coverings to extend the life of N95 and surgical masks, or for those who didn’t have direct contact with infected patients. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and public housing communities emerged as additional groups that had been overlooked by other efforts.
What actions have we taken?
In early April, we purchased 10,000 handmade masks directly from almost 30 Etsy sellers and began shipping them directly to teams at five hospitals serving mixed economic and under-resourced populations in the New York metropolitan area and Cleveland, Ohio.
In April, we also joined forces with Nest’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Purchase Initiative, a collaborative effort spearheaded by global artisan non-profit Nest together with Mastercard, Target, Amazon and Qurate Retail Group.
By partnering with Nest, we’ve been able to both increase the impact of our donation while benefiting from the unique expertise of the organization. We were touched when Rebecca van Bergen, Nest’s Founder and Executive Director, shared the impact our participation has made:
“Nest was blown away by how quickly and thoughtfully Etsy has responded to this need and this partnership. Your generous donation allowed us to kick off this initiative with flying colors and make a real impact in the COVID-19 response. And your understanding and appreciation of handmade products was critical — you helped us provide enough production guidelines for standardization, while considering the resources and capabilities of each artisan business.”
So far, as a direct result of Etsy’s support, Nest has sourced over 100,000 masks from seven artisan and maker businesses employing 1,465 artisans in the U.S., Guatemala and Cambodia. These masks are being distributed to frontline institutions including the NYC and Cleveland-area hospitals supported previously, as well as the USPS and public housing communities in Brooklyn.
Why is this important?
With the CDC’s direction and the consultation from our partners on the ground, we were able to provide a resource to those who have to keep getting up and going to work to provide our essential services.
Not only does this effort increase the supply of masks helping curb transmission in vulnerable communities, including those close to our global HQ in Brooklyn, but it also provides financial support to many micro-entrepreneurs being adversely impacted by the economic implications of COVID-19. This crisis is not over and there will continue to be needs, and we will continue to monitor how Etsy can make an impact through our unique marketplace.
