Buy a bag, plant a tree

Responsible consumerism obliges one to look at the product and its
origins -- the maker is no longer anonymous but part of the branding, and beyond a pretty piece of disposable material, the product becomes more meaningful, ergo, more valuable.

In 2007, Rags2Riches, Inc. (RIIR) -- a social enterprise empowering indigent communities by upgrading their products -- was given a boost with the participation of designer Rajo Laurel, whose restyling of the “retaso bag” (a bag made from scrap cloth) fashioned by women from the dumpsite community of Payatas, coupled with an aggressive marketing campaign emphasizing “eco-friendly and ethical fashion” became the success story of the season.

Since then, there have been several other RIIR triumphs, notably grants received from The Body Shop Foundation (August 2008), Business In Development (BID) Challenge Philippines (December 2008), BID Challenge International (January 2009), and the Starbucks Grant (June 2009), not to mention a partnership with bag designer Amina Aranaz-Alunan in Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter 2009.

Still going strong, RIIR is collaborating yet again with Mr. Laurel for the Tree Bag project, an initiative wherein each Tree Bag sold means one tree is planted under the auspices of the San Carlos Development Board, Inc. (SCDBI). The target for this 2010 trial run is one hectare or 2,499 trees; an initial 500 bags (retailing for P750 each) is already available, with 250 bags to be shipped to Singapore, Hong Kong and Zurich.

“We are planning tree-planting activities which buyers will be welcome to join. The trees will not be just left alone after planting -- they will be taken care of for three years,” assured RIIR President Reese Fernandez.

Also in the pipeline is the Eco-Life Laboratory, a think tank composed of business leaders and development corporations, to discuss creative opportunities for product development with indigent communities. The lab, spearheaded by RIIR, will be launched sometime in August or September this year, Ms. Fernandez told BusinessWorld

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