For my Aim2Flourish project, I interviewed the business leader of my chosen company, Bambuhay. This multi-awarded social enterprise focuses on innovating eco-friendly products from bamboo to heal the planet from plastic pollution, deforestation and climate change. Bambuhay’s mission is to build a community where empowered young leaders, farmers and citizens feel connected to nature and each other with access to a healthy and environment-friendly community.
In 2015, founder Mark Sultan Gersava got a chance to visit Patikul, Sulu, one of the poorest communities in the Philippines. He discovered a lot of plastic dumped into the ocean while many resources, specifically bamboo, in the community were not yet utilized.
After conducting thorough research, he introduced innovative bamboo products such as straws, mugs, tumblers, sanitary casing, toothbrushes and more. Being a Food Technologist by profession, environmentalist, peace advocate, and social entrepreneur by passion, he combined these into one concept and became Bambuhay Social Enterprise.
Mark envisioned a better future for his marginalized compatriots with an ardent desire for a sustainable and beautiful future for the world. He gathered young leaders and farmers with diverse backgrounds and abilities to give them opportunities to contribute purposefully to society by caring for the environment and provide people with a sustainable lifestyle.
Bambuhay’s flagship product is its Bamboo Toothbrush. This product is the world’s first plantable toothbrush made from sustainably grown bamboo. Traditionally, we throw away our toothbrush after using it for three months.
Plastic toothbrushes create 252 million kilograms of wastes, equivalent to 1.5 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide per year. But with this bamboo toothbrush, we need not add to the half a billion plastic toothbrushes that are just thrown away every year in the Philippines. The bristles are made from PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate), a biodegradable material infused with natural carbons.
The handles are processed with a 100-percent natural heat finish to minimize water absorption and avoid microbe growth without using any chemicals. The packaging is made from recycled paper and unglued, making it 100-percent plastic-free.
Three seedlings are embedded in the packaging that the toothbrush users can plant together with the toothbrush. As the toothbrush decomposes, it serves as the fertilizer for the growing seedlings. Instead of using coloring chemicals to the toothbrushes for identification purposes of the consumers, Bambuhay engraved its handles with pictures of endangered species also to promote awareness.
Three years after Bambuhay was founded, the founders have made tremendous progress towards their goal of providing natural, organic, affordable and eco-friendly products while addressing poverty. Bambuhay impacted 13,910 farmers, equivalent to 2,782 families, providing them with sustainable livelihood, employment, opportunities and relief assistance. They also provided farmers access to social benefits and insurance. For the environmental impact, Bambuhay eliminated around 1,100 tons of plastic wastes equivalent to 6,600 tons of carbon dioxide from the environment and planted almost 40,000 trees and bamboos.
These significant numbers are the results of Bambuhay’s efforts to address the social challenges that the world is facing right now. At the end of our interview, I asked for Mark’s message to the world, and he said, “In our current society, we urgently need to change our behavior and how we consume our remaining resources.” He ended his statement with the reminder, “Our planet is imperiled. We have only have one planet, and it takes one person to take care of it, and it starts with you.”
Doing the Aim2Flourish assignment made me realize that all human beings are responsible for taking care of our planet. I also realized that it is possible to do business while causing no/less harm to the environment. Having a sustainable business is crucial because we only live once. I know that this statement is simple, but if you think about it, it is true that we only live once, and we must live well. No one will protect our environment and our natural resources but ourselves.
Everyone of us must do our part to save the future. Business owners are significant stakeholders that can do so much in driving social and environmental change. They can focus on sustainability initiatives that can contribute to their organization’s overall success and the community’s protection. Hand in hand, our small deeds and actions can go a long way for the community, the economy, the environment and the next generation.
The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, DLSU. He can be reached at christian_timoteo@dlsu.edu.ph.
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.
