Assignment 1 in Principles of Marketing

Social Entrepreneurship

Submitted by:

Ramos, Ira Tricia S.

Submitted to:

Mr. Byron John Siy

July 20, 2017

 Social Entrepreneurship is the use of business strategies to answer social, cultural and

environmental issues. Its purpose is not only to generate profit for the business but also to

contribute for the greater good of others. A social enterprise is a bit different from a profit-

oriented business. Unlike a profit-oriented business that focus on decisions that can achieve a

higher income and increase in stock prices, a social enterprise focus more on decisions that

can have a positive effect to the environment and improve the quality of life of the people.

Instead of thinking on what the resources, people and business can contribute to the

entrepreneur, it is more about what the entrepreneur and the business can do for the

environment and people. To achieve its mission, a social enterprise should pursue an innovative

idea to solve the community problem. Some ideas can be recycling materials, hand-craft

production or searching for possible alternatives.

An example of a social entrepreneurship here in the Philippines is the Olivia and Diego

Upcycled Jewelry. Olivia and Diego is a social enterprise that is based within the Davao region

of Mindanao. It offers an eco-ethical line of authentic and handmade accessories that

showcases upcycled jewelry made out of old knitted t-shirts and office supplies.Upcycled means

to reuse a discarded material in a new and different way that will ultimately increase its original

value.Dianna Marisse "Yana" Uy Santiago is founder of the worthy cause that bridges the gap

between fashion and the social environment. The name Olivia and Diego was inspired by a

Moroccan Couple that Yana met.According to Metro mom magazine (2015), the meeting with

the couple was only a random incident. Yana, together with a friend, went on a week-long

surfing trip. The girls decided to borrow a tent instead of staying in a fancy place. That’s how

Yana met a family of backpackers from Morocco. The couple’s name were Olivia and Diego.

Even with the short time of talking, Yana got attached. Yana was inspired by the couple’s

passion for travel and life. And that’s why the brand was named of the couple. As a reminder to

oneself of the things that really matter in life: relationships, family, friends and freedom.And
these were the values that helped shaped the brands culture, helping communities out of

poverty and creating environmental awareness from the sourcing of materials to the distribution.

Olivia and Diego is a social business that uses recycled materials which are handcrafted for

production. And the brandworks with communities of stay-at home mothers, and mothers who

provide for their babies and human trafficking survivors. For these are the groups with lesser

opportunities in life. Yana taught the women the required skills to create unique pieces of

accessory.The business aims to empower vulnerable women to rise out of poverty through

fashion and design by attending workshops to transform into artisans who craft upcycled

jewelry. With these, the enterprise creates opportunities for additional, steady income for the

artisans and this stability allows them to be self-sufficient. This means Olivia &

Diego's products are not just beautiful and good for the environment, but they also create local

jobs and develop communities in the Philippines. The pieces are also sold in some cities in the

Philippines as well as in Germany, USA, Australia, Singapore and Japan.

One of the Olivia and Diego brand core values is sustainability. The brand’s approach on

design, sourcing and manufacturing are described as ethical. The brand is socially and

environmentally conscious keeping in mind the ‘Think Local. Go Global’ philosophy.Olivia and

Diego create handmade artisticjewelry from eco-friendly and upcycled materials. According to

Jerome Gagnon-Voyer (2016), the founder of Cambio Market, the production process starts with

sourcing of the t-shirts from clothing donation centers. Clothes of various colours are picked that

correspond to thejewelry designs. No dyes are used, so it is a must to find the exactcolor

needed and have enough quantity supplied for the mass production. Once the t-shirts are

obtained, the women cut them into long strips with scissors and are braided together very

tightly,similar to how a friendship bracelet is done. And these will serve as core of the necklace

or bracelet. Threads of yarn of various colours are then added around the upcycled t-shirt fiber

following a pre-defined template designed by Yana. The various colours of upcycled t-shirts and
yarns is ultimately what makes each collection unique.The women then add the chain as the

last step. So it really is eco-friendly from the materials to the production. The used cotton-knitted

t-shirts and clothing from the donation center which should have been discarded and ended up

in land fill sites are reused and upcycled to be fashionable accessories by handcraft production.

There are no chemicals used in the materials and the products are all handcrafted from the

beginning to the end.

Another innovative idea that can serve as a social enterprise is the Wasticity Battery.

Scientist have discovered that all things that can be touched and used are swirling clouds of

electricity. A wasticity battery is made from domestic wastes like vegetable, fruit peelings and

dried leaves. Now it is not only plastics and containers that can be recycled but also domestic

wastes. It is eco-friendly since domestic wastes that should have been trash or litter at the side

of the road will be collected and be used as materials for production. And after the usage, the

battery can be used as fertilizer since it is mostly made up of domestic waste. These social

enterprise works with those who do not have any educational background and almost no

opportunity granted to them. A beggar on the street can work as an employee. By collecting

wastes from the surroundings, one can earn based on how many kilograms of wastes was

gathered. And there are workshops that the company offer to teach the employees how to

facilitate the production of battery. So even if a beggar started from collecting wastes, through

perseverance, there can be promotion and improvement of the quality of life.

 Reference List

 Dees, J.G. (2001) Duke I&E (online). Available from:

https://entrepreneurship.duke.edu/news-item/the-meaning-of-social-entrepreneurship/

(Accessed 18 July 2017)

 Voyer, J.G.(2016) CambioMarket (online). Available from:

https://www.cambio.market/blogs/news/118721605-eco-ethical-and-beautiful-the-story-

of-olivia-diego (Accessed 17 July 2017)

 Meg (2015) Meghasscene it.blog (online). Metro Mom. Availabale from:http://meg-has-

scene-it.blogspot.com/2015/04/olivia-and-diego-sustainable-style-and.html

(Accessed 17 July 2017)

 Roberts, K. (2015) Sustainability in style (online). Available

from:https://sustainabilityinstyle.com/label-love-olivia-and-diego/ (Accessed 18 July

2017)