MAS Holdings’ Pilar Diaz and Thanuja Jayawardene discuss the company’s femtech innovations.
TWSpecial Report
S总部位于Ri Lanka的MAS Holdings始于1987年的内衣制造商。该公司由三兄弟（Mahesh，Ajay和Sharad Amalen创立）创立，今天由专注于制造私密服装，Shapewear，Shapewear，Swimwear，Activewear，训练和培训和培训和培训和培训和培训和企业组成。性能 - 休闲服，运动服，可穿戴技术，健康技术，自适应服装和影响防护装备。
The company’s portfolio includes MAS Acme, established in 2017 following the acquisition of ACME-McCrary Corp., a hosiery manufacturer founded in 1909 in Asheboro, N.C. MAS also operates a sketch-to-scale technology company that creates next-to-skin apparel solutions in consumer technology, consumer health and connected clothing. Additionally, MAS owns industrial parks and provides partnered logistic services to customers.
MAS Holdings currently operates 52 facilities located in 15 different countries. The company employs more than 115,000 people, and more than 70 percent of its workforce is female. MAS is proud of its global reputation for an ethical and sustainable working environment. Part of its unique mission includes a commitment to women and an emphasis on women’s empowerment.
MAS在2014年开始涉足女性卫生技术（FMETECH）领域，因为它研究了尿失禁内衣产品。MAS还向其客户进行了投资，ThinX是一个总部位于纽约市的品牌，可生产吸收性月经内衣。MAS报告说，它协助该品牌（专注于使用其产品和市场营销来打破周围周围的禁忌），在过去八年中从创业公司到市场领导者的规模。
MAS has continued to develop products for the femtech market and now also offers cooling and temperature regulating clothing as a solution for menopause challenges under its own brand Become, as well as reusable nursing pads for new mothers, among other products.
随着国际妇女节的焦点，纺织世界有机会与MAS Holdings的全球Parrech Pilar D188BET金博宝下载iaz负责人和妇女授权的总经理Thanuja Jayawardene有关该公司在Femtech领域的创新。该公司的使命是设计解决方案，以缓解妇女在生活的各个阶段所面临的身体症状和挑战，并具有新一代的面料，有助于赋予世界各地女性的能力。
TW:What originally led MAS to identify urinary incontinence products as a potential market for the company? Were there synergies with existing MAS product lines?
Pilar Diaz：MAS于2014年开始在尿失禁（UI）空间中工作。当时我们的研究表明，四分之一的女性在18岁以上的尿液泄漏事件中。我们还了解到，UI是与健康有关的第五大问题，对女性的生活质量产生了最大的负面影响。了解UI引起的挑战和不适，我们希望帮助女性过着正常的生活，而不必每天都戴一次性垫子。一次性垫不仅是对UI的昂贵且不可持续的解决方案，而且通常是对女性状况的苛刻提醒。
在MAS,我们把它自己运用我们的经验ertise in apparel, specifically within the intimates space, to innovate a more impactful solution than those disposable products. We created a product that looked and felt like regular underwear with absorbent function embedded in it.
TW: What other femtech products does MAS produce? Are there other femtech innovations in the works?
迪亚兹: MAS develops a number of solutions that improve women’s health and well-being as they go through the different life-stages, from the first menstruation to the last, and everything in between. Our range of solutions include products designed for period care, urinary incontinence, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause.
Today, our products have revolutionized the reusable absorbent underwear space. We have also been first in the market to launch a menopause specific clothing line, addressing the number one symptom of menopause — hot flashes.
目前，我们正在研究Femtech领域内的新领域，并正在努力开发可以为妇女生活带来正常生活的创新产品。我们决心找到有关妇女健康和福祉的卓越解决方案，包括尚未探索的解决方案。
TW: Has MAS utilized any new textile innovations to elevate femtech performance?
迪亚兹: Apart from regular body fabric, lace and other fashion trims, MAS has invested in developing reusable, functional materials with a range of performance attributes such as quick-drying, high-absorbency, moisture-wicking and temperature-regulating technologies that truly elevate the effectiveness of our femtech products. These technologies are applied to address the multiple pain points of the female reproductive cycle.
例如，为了缓解更年期的症状，我们获得专利的抗冲洗技术可用于潮热，可以通过转移热量，扇形水分和减少气味来使佩戴者保持凉爽和舒适。结合Hydraderma和抗冲洗技术可减少水分的损失，同时减轻瘙痒，以缓解刺激的皮肤。同样，我们应用这些创新技术或它们的组合在其生活的多个阶段为妇女带来了最佳好处。
TW：该时期内衣和尿失禁产品提供什么环境利益？
迪亚兹: On average, a woman will have around 450 periods in her lifetime, which equates to nearly 10 years of our lives bleeding! Naturally, the usage of menstrual products is high. What we don’t realize are the startling amount of waste created by conventional menstrual and urinary incontinence products and their impact on the environment. Tampons and pads — which include wrappers and applicators — constitute 7 percent of the world’s landfill. According to a 2015 research, half of women in the United Kingdom flush up to 2 billion sanitary items each year.
The washable and reusable period and UI underwear we make help to reduce the impact of menstrual and urinary incontinence products on landfills. Not only are these products sustainable alternatives that are better for the planet, but they also ease the economic burden resulting from the cost of purchasing disposables and help improve women’s well-being.
TW: How large are the product lines, and where are the products sold?
迪亚兹: Some of the femtech products in our current range include washable absorbent underwear for periods and UI; period pain solutions; reusable, absorbent nursing pads and bras; and diverse clothing products such as daywear, nightwear, shapewear and activewear for menopause.
We work with major brands both in the fashion industry as well as in the hygiene and health industry. Products made by MAS are sold around the world in both e-commerce and retail stores.
TW: Women comprise the majority of the company’s workforce. How do you support your female employees, and what opportunities and initiatives are available to women at the company?
Jayawardene: Being an organization relying so heavily on the work and progress of women, we are in the best position to understand the need for gender parity and why female empowerment is essential for thriving and sustainable businesses, stronger economies and better nations.
Since we started, our work has been about enriching the lives of these women who make up the most significant part of our organization. But in 2003, our commitment to empowering women and breaking existing biases was translated into a strategic and result oriented program known as Women Go Beyond. Through this, we seek to improve and enrich the lives of our female associates as well as their families and communities.
仅在2021年，MAS就进行了1,624项举措，帮助为组织及其社区中的人们创造328,218个机会，其中有248,221个这些机会使整个小组中的妇女受益。尽管这些项目所涵盖的某些领域与就业和财务授权有关，例如技能发展，职业发展和企业家精神，但其他领域超越了这些机会，可以解决基层水平的差距，从而对妇女的健康和预防基于性别的暴力提高意识。这些是我们经营的社区要解决的关键领域。
该公司还设定了一个目标，以提高女性在管理方面的代表性，并启动了多种积极的干预措施，包括家庭友好政策，基础设施支持，无意识的偏见偏见研讨会，妇女的指导和赞助，招募和保留妇女的策略和育儿支持等等。
It is encouraging to note that female representation on MAS Holding’s company boards also saw an increase from 13 percent in 2020 to 20 percent in 2021. Other indicators including rising female representation in senior management, the share of women recruited for roles above executive level and reduced turnover among female associates are a testament to the tangible results of MAS’ commitment to empowering women.
March/April 2022
