Leading social enterprise Human Nature marks 10th year
IN 2008, Camille Meloto, Anna Meloto-Wilk, and Dylan Wilk, founders of Human Nature, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year were at a crossroads in their lives — Anna and Dylan as new parents with two small children and Camille a fresh graduate contemplating the next stage in her life. Little did they know that God would be calling them toward something bigger than their own personal dreams, something that would stretch their faith, sanity and abilities.
“We wanted to start a movement through social enterprises that will do business differently. We didn’t know much about the cosmetics industry, but we wanted to transform the lives of poor workers,” stated Dylan Wilk, chairman of Human Nature. “What we had were just ideas — that Filipinos could produce truly world-class natural products and that business could lift people out of poverty by obeying God’s commands.”
Anna Meloto-Wilk, Human Nature president, shared that the past 10 years were not without challenges and the growth has come with a lot of pain. “What has made it worth it are the stories of genuine transformation and the real hope we see in the lives of our people.”
Human Nature’s pro-poor policies are the cornerstone of its commitment to helping foster a new middle class. Most notable of these policies are paying a living wage, Sundays off, regularization for all, no firing policy, freedom from debt programs, values formation and life skills training.
By intentionally hiring people from marginalized sectors, the company is able to provide opportunities to those who need them most.
Over 58% of Human Nature’s employees are low-skilled working poor from communities near the company’s facilities in Quezon City and Laguna. The minimum living wage for its rank-and-file workers ranges from over 60% to as high as twice the minimum legal wage. The Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia recently concluded a study on the impact of Human Nature’s policies and programs on its workers from the Base of the Pyramid. A tool called the Development Index measured changes in four key areas: quality of life, workplace transformation, financial management and spirituality or community involvement.
The study was done with 172 Human Nature workers employed for at least 3 years. The findings were encouraging: 76% of workers said that they had moved out of poverty; 89% were able to meet the needs of their families; 81% said the quality of their meals had improved; and 97% had access to health services and were able to pay for what was not covered.