Translations

BATANG BAYANI INTERNATIONAL INC., a sustainable social toy business in Philippines

7. Community involvement

Community development

Sector Business / Distribution

Year 2014

Country Philippines

Transmitter

Context

Batang Bayani International Inc. (BBI) is a social enterprise founded in 2012 by a french student Fabien Courteille,based in the Philippines, producing safe, toxic-free, and environmentally friendly toys with social impact. BBI produces plush and bamboo toys, which are sold through two brands: PLUSH&PLAY and KARPENTOYS. BBI has its showcase center set up in the Enchanted Farm of Gawad Kalinga and fully supports Tony Meloto’s sustainability efforts towards a poverty-free Philippines by 2024.

Objectives

To be part of a global project to eradicate poverty in Philippines (Tony Meloto)
Build a global company and provide products and services that would set new standards in the toy industry especially regarding its social and environmental impacts. Sales: 50 000 toys in 2014, partnership with Toys‘R’us for a wider distribution.
Benefits low-income communities, considering workers as partners of the business

APPROACH

The choice of the location, in «the Enchanted Farm» 2 hours from Manila, is part of a vision and a dream of development launched by Tony Melto in 2003. After founding Gawad Kalinka, the NGO that accompanies the construction of villages by the people of the slums, Tony Meloto wants to go further and attract businesses. Gawad Kalinka designs so the "Enchanted Farm" as a future 'Silicon Valley', a laboratory of social entrepreneurs from the Philippines or abroad.

Various stages involved in setting up the practice: Step-by-step development, using local community core competencies: installation of the contractor in a village around the "enchanted farm", working with neighbouring families in relying on their local knowledge (made-up lint by hand), in small quantities in the beginning (10 toys, then test the sales before buying new materials), progressive gear. The idea of using the local resource of bamboo necessitated planting to avoid transportation and wait for the produced materiel to develop bamboo toys. The local community is progressively mobilized to make the project go forward.

Resources:

Human: Local Philippine women skills
Equipment: Bamboo, hand-made
Financial: At first personal financial investment of 80€ then reinvest the benefits.

Best Practice spotted by the World Forum for a Sustainable Economy 2014.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

Growth in revenue/market share: 50 000 toys sold in 2014 in partnership with Toys’Rus
Improvement of the company’s internal labor indicators:
Profitability and productivity gains
Recognition outside the company through awards