#LuntianPH: These Entrepreneur Students Promote Sustainability 1% at a Time Through Compostable Bubble Mailers

They say you are what you choose to be and making conscious choices is an opportunity to change your life for the better. Everything we do, from what we eat to the products we shop for, has an effect on the environment and other living species.

There are a lot of options on how to live, but if you choose to live sustainably and reduce your carbon footprint, embracing sustainability starts within your sense of responsibility and ethics. Every effort, no matter how small, counts and brings you closer to your goal.

This is the aspiration of a group of graduating students from De La Salle University taking up Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship when they put up 1% by Luntian Philippines.

In an interview with The Beat Asia, the founders of this startup business, Lyanne Carmel Sy (CEO and Director of Marketing), Jericho Janssen Lo (Director of Production and Customer Service), Janna Pablo (Director of Operations and Finance), Timothy Jacob Oscaris (Director of Strategic Analysis and Human Resources), and Andrea Nicole Bugarin (Director of Sales and Research & Development), shared their advocacies and future plans as young entrepreneurs.

Product Ideation and Manufacturing Process

The 1% by Luntian (Lunas ang Tinig ng Animo) Philippines is part of the group’s requirement for their business practicum as entrepreneur students.

“During the product ideation, yung brainstorming ng business, naisip po namin na ‘yung advocacy po namin ay related sa pagtulong sa environment,” Lyanne said.

(During the product ideation and business brainstorming, we concluded that our advocacy must be related to helping the environment.)

In light of the present pandemic situation and the limited resources available for technological integration, the team had to think of the common ground between zero waste mart and zero waste e-commerce that is feasible. Thus, they decided to focus on packaging items since it’s essential to most online business operations, not to mention, the exponential growth of the e-commerce industry.

On the other hand, the concept of the compostable bubble mailer came from the idea of a sole business owner’s daily struggles who handles everything from the operations and marketing to finance and packaging. In order to speed up the order-packing process, using bubble mailers is a great option.

“[K]asi yung bubble mailer packaging siya na ipapasok mo lang yung product mo, tanggalin mo lang yung adhesive, dikit, then ship ayun,” Lyanne added.

(A bubble mailer is a type of packaging that enables you to place your items inside, peel off the adhesive [tape], stick it on, then ship. That’s it.)

For the materials and production, Jericho explained that their compostable bubble mailers are sourced from international producers whose products have been tested and certified by TUV Austria and Australasian Bioplastics Association (ABA). This is to ensure their products are of quality and can decompose in as fast as 180 days under proper home composting conditions. It takes about two to three months to produce an estimated 12,000 bubble mailers.

“[K]asi yung process medyo mahaba and yung quality ng bubble mailers dapat mag-compost siya properly. Ipapasok po kasi yung bubble wrap (sa mailer) kaya medyo tedious talaga yung process,” Jericho said.

(The process takes a long time due to the need for quality assurance in the bubble mailers' ability to compost properly. Since the bubble wrap must be included [in the envelope], the procedure is quite tedious.)

“The materials we used [are] biodegradable products. Our products are very different because all the products that we used are all eco-friendly. From the craft paper of course is compostable itself…. And the bubble wrap, a lot of people also asked about this, and this is made out of different vegetable starches and eco-polymers that will help it degrade and not turn into microplastics,” Janna added.

Compostable Bubble Mailers and Other Products

To meet the packaging demands of various online sellers, the compostable bubble mailers they offer are available in three sizes – small (11x15cm), medium (15x18cm), and large (18x22cm).

The smallest bubble mailer, which costs P16 per piece, can fit -a phone case, jewelry, tiny accessories, small hanging diffusers, and stationery products.

The medium bubble mailer, on the other hand, is popular among sellers of K-pop merch like photo cards, as well as collectors of NBA cards, NFL trading cards, and Pokémon cards. Other items that can fit in are gadget accessories such as USB drives, adapters, cables, dangles, as well as small compact makeup and essential oils. Each piece costs P22.

The largest bubble mailer, priced at P30, is ideal for bigger items like coffee drips and stationery, and scrapbooking materials.

The intrinsic value of bubble mailers, which enhances customer awareness and boosts the morale of sellers who will become part of the 1%, is another benefit for online retailers.

In addition to compostable bubble mailers, the 1% by Luntian Philippines also sells tote bags for those who don’t have an online business but would like to join the green initiative.

Corporate Social Responsibility

The founders of 1% by Luntian Philippines revealed that the capital of their startup venture reached an estimate of P90,000 to P100,000. They were successful in generating returns from this investment as a result of their collaborative hard work and dedication.

As part of their corporate social responsibility, they also allocate budget for those communities in need whenever they earn extra income.

“[I]na-allocate namin po siya as budget for help din po sa mga taong nangangailangan. ‘Pag may nakita po kaming donation drives for the environment or for [victims ng] natural disasters ina-allocate namin yung income namin, di lang sa environment pati na rin po sa community natin,” Andrea shared.

(We allocate it as budget for helping those who are in need. When we hear of fundraising efforts for the environment or for victims of natural disasters, we allocate our income, not only to the environment but also to our community.)

When asked why their brand is called the “1%,” Lyanne explained that they aim to convert the 1% or at least 750 online sellers based on their computation.

“Hopefully, after we accomplish this goal, we will continue again na parang another 1% na naman and another 1%. Parang 1% at a time hanggang ayun, lahat pina-practice na nila yun sa day to day lives [nila],” she added.

(Hopefully, after we accomplish this goal, we will continue again with another 1% and then another 1%. It's like taking 1% at a time until everyone is putting that into practice in [their] day-to-day lives.)

Sustainability Advice From Budding Entrepreneurs

In the interview, we asked Lyanne, Jericho, Andrea, Janna, and Timothy about the most helpful piece of advice they could give to those who want to start their own business and to those who want to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Here’s what they’ve got to say:

Tim: [E]stablish po yung mission and vision ng business kung ano po yung ini-aim niyo to achieve as an enterprise and for our case po is [alagaan ang] environment. To lessen the waste in e-commerce industry, 1% at a time. We’ve been abiding with that vision for quite some time now and ‘yung tip ko po para sa mga gustong mag-establish ng business is to always stay consistent with the vision and remember it... Always connect it to the goals of the company and the morale of the employees.

(Establish the mission and vision of the business, defining what it is that you aim to achieve as a company and, in our case, it is [to protect] the environment. To lessen the waste in the e-commerce industry, 1% at a time. We've been abiding by that vision for quite some time now and my tip for those aspiring business owners is to always stay consistent with the vision and remember it... Always connect it to the company’s mission and the morale of the employees.)

Lyanne: [C]hoose the right people. The whole time na ginagawa namin etong practicum, iniisip ko din pa’no kaya naging successful ang Luntian? Parang feel ko 'di namin siya magagawa kung hindi dahil saming lima rin kasi each one of us meron kaming ibang kakayahan at set of skills… May kanya-kanya kaming strengths, may kanya-kanya din kaming weaknesses. Tina-try din naming mag-balance kung ano yung kaya namin.

(Choose the right people. The whole time we were doing this practicum, I couldn't help but wonder how Luntian managed to achieve such a great accomplishment. I feel like we wouldn't be able to do it if it weren't for the five of us, because each one of us has a different ability and set of skills... We have our own strengths; we also have our own weaknesses. We make every effort to maintain a healthy balance.)

Andrea: Para sa mga online business sellers po, di naman po kailangan na bumili ka ng compostable bubble mailer o any product na packaging kung di kakayanin ng cost. [P]ero ang pinapakiusap po namin is try po nilang i-practice yung three Rs – reuse, reduce, and recycle. Kasi existing na po yung plastic, why not reuse na lang po yung mga ganung packaging.

(If you run an online business, there is no need for you to acquire a compostable bubble mailer or any other product packaging if you can't afford the cost. However, what we are requesting of them is that they try their best to put into practice the three Rs – reuse, reduce, and recycle. Given that plastic already exists, why not just reuse such packaging.)

Janna: For me I would like to give advice to normal readers who [don’t] have a small business. I would like to advise them na lead a more sustainable life. It’s easier to start somewhere they know they can do kahit it’s small but it’s still, as what we say, it’s still like a 1% closer to a 100% sustainable life.

(For me I would like to give advice to normal readers who don't have a small business. I would like to advise them to lead a more sustainable life. It's easier to start somewhere they know they can do even if it's small but it's still, as what we say, it's still like a 1% closer to a 100% sustainable life.)

Jericho: [M]y advice po sa readers is to influence who we can based sa lifestyle natin… Kasi ‘yung family ko inspired din ako sa kanila kasi sila nagturo sa’kin on how to be an environmental conscious person kaya ‘yun. ‘Yung tip ko talaga is to influence who we can and [i-practice] ‘yung three Rs.

(My advice to the readers is to influence who we can based on our lifestyle... Since my own family has been my source of inspiration, they taught me how to be an environmentally conscious person. My tip is to influence the people around us and [practice] the three 3Rs.)

What’s Next for 1% by Luntian Philippines

The company revealed that they are currently working to develop sustainable bubble wrap in response to the overwhelming demand from their clients.

“They’re looking for a bigger protection and wraps din sa kanilang product na di pa naming ma-cater right now kasi small to medium products yung kini-cater [naming na packaging]. Sa initiatives, we’re looking for organizations that we can partner [with] din na may same initiative with us, yung scope po nun sa environment, sa disaster readiness programs, and other related organizations na namimigay din po ng tulong sa both environment and sa community,” Timothy shared.

(They're looking for bigger protection and wraps for their products that we can't cater to right now because [we] focus [on providing packaging] for small to medium products. When it comes to initiatives, we are looking for organizations that we can partner with that have the same initiative as us, the scope of which is in the environment, disaster readiness programs, and other related organizations that also provide assistance to both the environment and the community.)

At the moment, the company places a high priority on capitalization and research about new product lineups.