Our Origins

It started with a quiet walk in the woods. In a lush plateau in Compostela, Cebu, where a 1.7 hectares facility stood in front of a small collection of trees, husband and wife team and Nature’s Legacy co-founders, Cathy and Pete Delantar, were taking a stroll around the property in 1986 and noticed piles of agroforestry debris — branches, twigs, tree barks — all of which could easily be found in nature.

Used for nothing other than firewood and pest control in rural areas, the couple who both had a background in material application saw that the organic debris had the potential to be elevated into a sustainable material that was eco-friendly and biodegradable too. More beneficial is that they didn’t have to go far and add to the carbon footprint to source it. The materials were found, literally, in their backyard. This was how one of the corporation’s first inventions, Naturecast ®, was born.

Since then, Nature’s Legacy’s material innovations have dominoed across all industries to include everything from home accessories to architectural and structural elements that mimic the elegance of natural stone but is a hundred times more lightweight, durable and sustainable.

This includes its much-celebrated Nucast® , a patented material made from recycled paper composite which named as “one of the world’s most innovative and eco-sustainable materials” by Material ConneXion, the largest resource library for sustainable materials in the world. There’s more to it than just paper, of course.

“We cover different industries because the core of our company is really material innovation. From our materials, we can do so many things.” says co-founder and visionary Cathy Delantar. The showroom tucked in a side road in industrial Mandaue is proof of this. Incorporating their own signature materials, Nature’s Legacy’s showroom is an amalgam of crushed stone, marmor and paper composite made to look like metal and executed in all designs of home decor from pottery to wall fixtures, down to lighting and geometric art. Cathy says it’s not even half of what their material innovations could be applied to.

“We’re changing so fast. I had to understand the need versus reality versus our ability,” she says. One thing’s for sure. Nature’s Legacy sets to change how the game of sustainability is played and defined. With several new innovations under their sleeves, they are keen to “let business fulfill its mission. We’re just an instrument for it to happen.”

EARLY BEGINNINGS

It wasn’t always a leisurely walk for the sustainable manufacturer, Nature’s Legacy. Their pioneer product, Stonecast, a handmade material which simulates how nature creates limestone, a process invented and patented by the founders was copied by other players in the export industry early on. The breach in patent ended in a court battle. “What we were afraid of came true. If inventions aren’t protected by patents, sellers can make it a Buy 1, Take 3 deal. Now, most products are even Buy 1, Take 5.” says Cathy. “Ultimately, it’s the people who make them who suffer. In our case, we considered the artisans in the situation. Our craftsmen should have been able to enjoy the fruits of fair pricing.” she adds.

But while the good intention was there, the market wasn’t ready to detract from its quantity and bottom-line mindset. “We realized we couldn’t compete with the price the others gave out. So, we said, why don’t we create another invention instead?” It took several years of experimentation by the owners and their team but they finally found the right formula. Their next invention, Naturecast ®, was driven by the sheer necessity to survive. It went on to bag the Gold Invention Award at the 43rd International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva Switzerland in 2015. “Now, we have 35 patents under Nature’s Legacy.” Cathy says with a smile.

The recognition though had to come down the line. After the patent issues, the next big question came in 1986: could they deliver what they promised to customers? With a new invention and a steep learning curve in terms of execution, there were no craftsmen with enough experience using materials so novel even in Cebu, a city full of expert artisans.“No one would apply and we ourselves didn’t even know where to get these skilled workers,” says Cathy.  The couple had to start from the bottom, housing a craftsman in one at a time, teaching them the rudiments of the handmade craft, until one became five and five became ten. 

“We didn’t know it then but we were ahead of the game. We were already there.”

Cathy recalls a rainy night back when they were renting a makeshift space in the city. The place was prone to flood and it wasn’t long until the floor was filled with water and mud. “So what we did,” Cathy recalls with a chuckle, “was to let the artisans work on top of the tables.” In an industry as competitive as manufacturing, they wanted to prove to customers that they were reliable and could deliver orders on time.

Space was an issue early on and they searched and tried possible areas to dig their roots in, finally finding a property in the newspaper ads. “It was a property in Compostela with a ready marmor factory from a Taiwanese-German owner.” They bought the property more for the place than the technology. It was in a plateau surrounded by trees a couple of towns away from the city. With the right place and the right people, their product clicked almost instantly. Orders came, and they came one after the other. While admittedly a latecomer in the Philippine export industry, with their recycled and biodegradable material innovations, Nature’s Legacy inched slowly inched its way into the forefront of sustainability.

“Thinking about it now, the Philippines was truly ahead in terms of sustainability,” recalls Pete. “We didn’t know it then but we were ahead of the game. We were already there.”

With each material innovation being as successful as the other, the founders had to ask themselves, “What about the people who make them?” With everything made by hand, the artisan’s disposition was vital in sustaining the quality and craftsmanship of the material innovation. “If you’re in a good mood, it’ll show good results in your work. If you’re a positive thinker, you receive grace. Yes, we make products but we also want to constantly check on the people making them. Are they happy? This is basic human ethics. It’s not because of business. Business is just our tool by which we nurture people.”

Recognizing the economic condition of the Philippines, where income goes primarily to rent, food and transportation, leaving very little for associates to enjoy, the founders sought to create a holistic ecosystem where the artisans, the backbone of the company, are ethically treated, where they could have a healthy work and recreational environment that compelled them to generate the utmost quality in their craft, and that which could also extend to their families.

As a response, Nature’s Legacy built two-story housing units, rented for a mere fraction of its actual cost, a mere 5 to 10-minute walk away from the factory in order lessen the hassles of travel for associates so they could enjoy quality time with their families at the end of the day. With traffic being so counterproductive, the company also provided carpools for their associates, plying back and forth the factory and their showroom in the city.

49-year old Manuel Mendoza who has been with the corporation for the last 30 years since he was 18, with two college graduates to show for it, attests that these humane living conditions alone “are such a big help.” “The Management has been so supportive. They don’t just stay in the office. And I think that’s why they know everyone from the head of the company down to its foot,” says Mendoza, making it easier for them to talk to everyone if need be, and vice versa. The family-owned and managed corporation value relationships as a pillar of sustainability so much that they even built a Nature’s Legacy Eximport Family Park where their associates and extended family could relax during the weekends, having the right recreational environment to think of things other than work, playing team sports or engaging in Sunday chats.

Wanting to extend the help down to the family, the company also created a foundation, the NLE Foundation, with the main goal of helping the families of the workers with alternative livelihood and spiritual guidance.

58-year old Venus Magalong who has been with the company for 17 years, and the Foundation’s spearheader, says that they’ve already catered to 125 families to date, many were encouraged to plant and sell their products in the company cafeteria for a subsidized cost, a trivial expense to some but a big difference to once single-earning families who have now been given additional opportunities to earn.

“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. To make their practices and processes more holistic, a chapel was also built inside the factory and the corporation has even brought in a Corporate Servant Leader to make sure their associates are supported emotionally and socially.
Every day, says Mendoza, who is one of the oldest employees in the company, the team meets at the chapel to read the scripture and realign themselves on their daily working direction. He says starting the day like this has been helpful in gearing people be more solution-based.

“Attitude is everything,” he says. “We don’t discriminate in terms of educational attainment. You just have to be positive and honest.”

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,” she affirms.

CULTURE

While these ethical practices may come naturally to Nature’s Legacy, they are surprised to know that everyone was keen to learn more about their kinaraang pamaagi, a vernacular term for the traditional way of doing things. Nature’s Legacy has served as a benchmark for companies as far as Japan, Germany and Switzerland, and has even recognized as a model organization by Asian Development Bank and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit or GIZ for their exemplary ethical practices. Interns are exposed to daily routines like mid-day prayers and human resource conversations to confirm that even the little details in culture building counts.

Co-founders Pete and Cathy say forming a culture such as this, while not part of some strategic master plan, has always been part of their Filipino upbringing. Growing up and being exposed to rural areas, the couple grew up simple and was thrifty about the resources that they’ve been given. They’d bring buyots or woven baskets when going to the public market and bottles when buying vinegar. Even their children played with carton boxes instead of toys.

The values, they say, has always been intrinsic in the Filipino culture. “Before urbanization, the Filipino was always mindful and thrifty.” Even when sustainability and green living started becoming popular buzzwords, the couple had already committed to sustaining a way of life that was true to their values. “We can always get back to how we were. We can influence our siblings, the household, our neighbors. It’s a good step already,” they say.

“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.”

COMMUNITIES

More than the hundreds of workers inside their spacious Administrative office slash research and development laboratory in Mandaue City and their factory in rural Compostela, Nature’s Legacy has also made sure to reach out to those who have no access to income-generating opportunities especially in the mountainous areas of Cebu. Floreia®, Nature’s Legacy’s change to brand for its fashion and home accessories product line artisans in the highlands of Consolacion and Talamban, where the roads are shoddy and mobile signal is intermittent. With electricity being so expensive in the mountains and hard-to-reach areas, Nature’s Legacy ensured that the mothers could work on their deliverables even when the power supply was intermittent. All of the pieces of Floreia® then are handmade. More than this though, this artistry by hand ensures that zero or very little carbon emission is generated.

“The keyword to sustainability is resource efficiency.” reminds Pete, making sure that the working model even for Floreia ® , produces as little waste as possible. It is the buyer, for instance, who goes to the community in order to lessen carbon footprint. In turn, the community ensures that the accessories are delivered when they should be. Much like Nature’s Legacy’s other innovations, Floreia® was born from the company’s commitment for zero waste. Because bigger pieces from their Nucast ® home decor and architectural products still had material excess after being cut and formed, the team contemplated how to make use of them again. 

“We hope this inspires the next generation that we don’t really have to be like everyone else, relying on technology,” says Cathy, “We can still make a very good product by doing things by hand.”

AMBASSADORS

With it being such a people-driven entity, the challenge for Nature’s Legacy these days, co-founder Pete Delantar admits, is “to tap a market that’s value driven”, to find like-minded partners who are just as passionate about responsible manufacturing as they are. “When people buy a product at face value and they see something similar in style, they won’t see the difference until they hear what is behind the product,” says Pete, who takes charge of Operations and Marketing.

By taking care of their people, above and beyond just complying with regulations, Nature’s Legacy has proven that the value of sustainability is in the humanity placed in the business. And it’s not just in taking care of those that go in the factory as much as those that go out into the world too. “We take care of our customers. We just don’t sell to them because of the money. We want to sell to them because we want a relationship that is elevated from a mere customer to supplier level. The customer then also has to count the ethical practices made, and not just the end product. Otherwise, we become another sweatshop.” he says.

This proof of success in relationship building is substantiated in their fifteen-year relationship with Nieuwkoop Europe based in the Netherlands. Thom Schonk, its Procurement Manager, says “Insert testimonial here.” “Fortunately, they understood our value proposition so they weren’t tempted to transfer to someone else. But it’s not a guarantee. We have to keep them interested by constantly asking ourselves, what’s next?” asks Pete. The management is hopeful in attracting more like-minded people. In the years that they’ve practiced the idea of 360° Sustainability, they realize “It always goes back to the people. It’s not about money anymore. It’s not about prestige or power. It’s about building a life.”

Our Milestones