OUR GREEN PRACTICES

That’s our reason for being. Our true North. Why we exist. We’ve seen our planet’s resources ravaged one after the other. Trees cut. Oceans emptied. Mountains pillaged. One thing is true, we’ve been using resources faster than our planet’s ability to replenish them. 

At Nature’s Legacy, we address resource misuse heads on; it’s not just about recycling and upcyling anymore, but having a large-scale operational model that stops earthly materials from being used even before they turn to waste.

“The keyword to sustainability is resource efficiency.” reminds Pete Delantar, Nature’s Legacy’s co-founder, making sure that the working model even for Floreia®, the fashion accessories brand, produces as little waste as possible.

Achieving the SDGs amidst the challenges of the pandemic

Nature's Legacy strengthens its alignment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations in 2020 amidst challenges brought about by COVID-19.

Guided by its 360• Sustainability principle, the company has continued to work towards the achievement of its sustainability targets while promoting business resilience and helping employees cope with the pandemic.

Aside from being a B Corporation®, the company has also obtained the highly selective Cradle-to-Cradle® certification for its flagship material innovation, Naturescast®, and received the Green Ribbon Award from the Sustainable Furnishing Council.

As it continues to contribute towards achieving 15 out of 17 SDs, it remains true to its commitment of achieving the triple bottom-line: generating profit, protecting the environment, and promoting social equity among its employees and the bigger community.

With each material innovation being as successful as the other, we had to ask ourselves, “What about the people who make them?” With everything made by hand, the artisan’s disposition is vital in sustaining the quality and craftsmanship of the material innovation.

Recognizing the economic condition of the Philippines, our company’s home base, where daily income goes primarily to rent, food and transportation, leaving very little for workers to enjoy, we sought to create a holistic and fair ecosystem where the artisans are ethically treated, where they could have a healthy work and recreational environment that compels them to create products of the utmost quality.

Nature’s Legacy has two-story housing units, rented by associates for a mere fraction of its actual cost, a 5-minute drive from the factory. We do this not just to lessen the hassles of travel for our people but also because we seek the most direct ways to lessen our ecological impact. Carpools are also provided, plying back and forth the factory and our showroom in the city.

CONNECTION TO THE LAND

As a company that creates products for nature, inspired by nature, Nature’s Legacy constantly finds ways for associates to reconnect with our planet. The Nature’s Legacy Eximport Family Park was built for this purpose. It’s where associates and extended family relax during the weekends, having the right recreational environment to think of things other than work. It also has a communal garden to grow organic vegetables for their own consumption or for sharing with neighboring communities.

EMPOWERING THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PRODUCT

As the company constantly strives for solution-based actions to be its code of conduct, a chapel was built inside the factory and the corporation has brought in a Corporate Servant Leader to make sure their associates are supported emotionally and socially. This is vital in developing a corporate culture that develops motivated talents and hires for their attitude, being inclusive to those with even zero education background.

“Before, it was just a matter of helping the people. We didn’t know that it was already part of sustainable entrepreneurship. We were ahead even before the term was coined,” says Cathy.

The company has recommitted their stance as a people-centered ethical business through the creation of Boba Restaurant, a recreational space next to their showroom in Mandaue, where food, recreation, and relaxation are placed on the table in the creation of their systems.
Cathy, who takes care of the people side of the business, says “We saw that even if we made a good product but if the person making the product isn’t happy or properly compensated or doesn’t know his own identity, it doesn’t matter.”

She calls this effort 360° Sustainability, which she defines as acknowledging “one life connected to the other.” “The human factor is really vital in our business so we try to nurture everyone in the value chain.”