From Solving Hunger to Saving the Planet: How This Filipina Mompreneur is Walking the Sustainability Talk

A quench for life outside corporate hustling and her son’s battle against allergies led mompreneur Che Secillano to create a brand that would impact not just her family’s wellbeing, but the environment and community. Launched in November 2021, Dwellbeing is a social enterprise that offers household and personal care items made of upcycled materials. Their products are handcrafted by partner communities and use materials that others would consider as waste. But while sustainability seems to be just another buzzword that brands use to hop on a trending topic, Che’s Dwellbeing tries to walk the talk.

Eco-Friendly Products

A self-described “shabby chic” with an interest in sustainability, Che conceived the idea of Dwellbeing when she had to find a way to manage her son’s eczema and allergic rhinitis bouts. To reduce their reliance on steroids and antihistamines, Che and her chemist friend thought of making everyday household items from scratch using all-natural and non-toxic materials.

Dwellbeing’s Olive Hand & Body Wash, for example, is mild and moisturizing and blends natural coconut surfactant and Australian extra virgin olive oil. The finished product is poured into an upcycled bottle, doubling as an accent and ridding your bathroom of those messy-looking plastic containers. Other best-selling products include liquid and bar soaps, disinfectants, and candles.

“For some reason, I just found beauty in the shape of the bottles and thought all these are all just going to waste, and we already have so much waste footprint,” Che shared.

“All our products have an upcycled component to it. From the bottles to using an old page from a book for our bar soaps, fabric scraps for our home linens, and now we are expanding to repurposing wood.”

Dwellbeing has made the bold decision to abandon popular online marketplaces “because they were requiring us to use so much plastic bubble wrap.” Instead, they deliver their products through Ecoship, the country’s first logistics company. That means items are delivered through either a bicycle or an electric vehicle to reduce carbon emissions. Ecoship also pledges to plant one tree for every 25 parcels delivered. For Dwellbeing, items are packed using boxes and carton bubble wraps, as well as kraft and used paper bags to minimize the excessive use of plastics.

Giving Back to the Community

Dwellbeing as a social enterprise does not start and end with using upcycled materials. The lemongrass oil found in their hand soap comes from their partner farmers in Bacolod. They also tap local communities to manufacture their products. One of their tie-ups is with G.R.O.W. (Giving Resources and Opportunities for Women), a female empowerment program under Philippine-based nonprofit organization Project PEARLS. Through G.R.O.W., Che and Dwellbeing provide livelihood opportunities to women living in poverty. Furthermore, a percentage of sales goes back to Project Pearls Hunger Relief Feeding Program.

“A must for Dwellbeing is to be able to make an impact on someone’s life by supporting local communities,” Che said.

“[I’ve] been working with Project PEARLS even before Dwellbeing and was also looking into how much more I can help on a regular basis. From the get-go, I knew that they will be part of Dwellbeing as a partner NGO. At that time, they had a new arm G.R.O.W., which supports women’s livelihood, so I tapped into that opportunity as well.”

As of writing, Dwellbeing has donated 1,500 family meals, adopted 20 families, and supported one scholar.

Almost half a year into her sustainability business, Che dreams big for Dwellbeing. Aside from partnering with other eco-friendly brands such as Simula, Frankie & Friends, and Through Habit, Dwellbeing has received offers for commercial distributorship. Che hopes to expand their distributors outside Metro Manila and automate their production processes to increase their stocks.

To see Dwellbeing’s all-natural eco-friendly products available for delivery within Metro Manila, check out their website. To stay updated on their new products and promos, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.