Extraordinary Endeavors in Turbulent Times: Asian Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact during COVID-19

ASIA BUSINESS COUNCIL HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 3 1 Esquel Group (Hong Kong) Extraordinary Endeavors in Turbulent Times on Valentine’s Day, around 10 days after Yang received the initial phone call. The mask was later named DET30, which comes from Esquel’s brand, DETERMINANT, and the number of times each mask can be washed. The mask was attractive because of three features: sustainability, affordability, and the fact that its anti-bacterial treated fabric offered reasonable protection for the wider community while sparing medical masks for healthcare professionals. Given the global shortage of masks, Esquel’s workers worked overnight and on Sundays to make sure that the high demand could be met; at its peak, Esquel produced one million reusable masks in a single day. The drop in orders for clothing meant that workers could be moved into mask production. Initially, the masks were for donation only. Esquel donated masks to the com- munities where it had operations, such as Guangzhou, Guilin, and Xinjiang. The company also donated masks to institutions such as Imperial College in the United Kingdom and Yang’s alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. And while the priority was to meet the community’s needs, Esquel was also able to turn mask production into a business by selling its masks online both domestically and internationally on plat- forms like Amazon, Shopify and WeChat. Along the way, Temasek Foundation also tested the masks and realized they were good for non-medical use. After a small initial donation, which was very well- received, Temasek Foundation placed or- ders for millions of masks for its Stay Pre- pared initiative, which offered all Singapore residents a free pair of reusable masks. As of December 2020, Esquel had shipped 43.5 million reusable masks to more than 27 economies worldwide, potentially saving 1.3 billion single-use masks from disposal in the environment. A Deeply Embedded Commitment to Sustainability in the Family The advantage of running a privately owned family business during a crisis is that the company can afford to incur short-term losses without being afraid of losing the confidence of its shareholders. In the case of Esquel, another aspect – and advantage – of family influence is the deeply embedded commitment to sustainability across generations. DET-30 Reusable Mask