To cap off this Women’s March, we’ve rounded up present-day women who are phenomenally trying to change the world through advocacy driven movements. Whether it was to give forgotten communities a chance to promote their products, style women with confidence without ruining the planet, or to help shift individuals and businesses to an eco-friendly lifestyle – each of these women have stepped into the entrepreneurial scene with one thing in mind: boosting sustainability into a world of profits. 

We’ve rounded three powerful women and their stories of how they started their business for the earth: 

Anya Lim and ANTHILL

Raised with a deep appreciation for awareness and preservation of Philippine indigenous cultures, ANTHILL was founded on the premise of promoting culture and traditions that were slowly fading away. Founder Anya Lim faced a dilemma, where she wanted to revive an industry that was dying, and help our fellow indigenous communities make a living by granting them opportunities to showcase their talents and skills. When asked why she started her business, Anya said:

We started ANTHILL because I witnessed firsthand the death of a weaving village because of lack of income opportunities. This really bothered me thinking we will never be able to experience culture this way anymore. As a social enterprise, we saw that women undervalued their talents and weaving traditions. There was no access to markets and there was also a gap in cultural continuity. ANTHILL was built to address this and work on reviving the industry.

In a world that’s seemingly turning into a more profit-centric space, compared to a people-centric space, Anya sees sustainability not just as a way to help the environment. Sustainability to her is allowing societies to thrive by banking on that communicative aspect of consumers and Filipinos.  We agree with Anya when she said, “Sustainability means being able to use and care for our resources today in a manner that will benefit the future generation.” 

That’s why for Anya, sustaining important aspects of our culture and traditions for future generations is a MUST. When asked who she resonated with in terms of such a mindset, she spoke of her admiration and respect for Vice President Leni Robredo. 

Despite very limited resources, she’s always been a woman of action and finds ways to make things happen. She’s on the ground listening and remains grounded to her core values. She carries a silent strength that gives hope and inspires everyday leadership among others.

Reawaken our cultures and support our indigenous women through Anthill, here.

Isabella Argosino and Sunki

Bringing sustainability to a more personal note, Sunki co-founder Isabella Argosino, started Sunki because she wanted to bring confidence to women through sustainable style.  It started with a problem most girls faced. Isabella just couldn’t seem to find clothes that fit her style and resonated with her personality:

At the time, there were no dresses with pockets, basics were boring, and stores were dominated by the same fast fashion labels. I just wanted cute pieces that didn’t take a crap on the planet, so I decided to build the brand myself along with my friends.

And just like that, Sunki was born! When asked about what she thought sustainability meant, Isabella spoke about the misconceptions of shifting to a sustainable lifestyle. To her, sustainability isn’t an all-or-nothing lifestyle catered to a niche few. In fact, Isabella says it doesn’t have to be that way. For her, sustainability is all about doing our best to cause the least harm to the environment with the resources we already have.

You won’t always be able to afford expensive fair-trade organic meals or $200 linen dresses, and there might be times you’ll choose an Uber over riding your bike. It doesn’t make you a bad person! The climate crisis is scary enough, so we should just stay aware, and find ways to do our part without judging each other. Baby steps are better than no steps at all!

Sticking to the theme of women leaders, Isabella Argosino also catches inspiration from Leni Robredo. In a time where confidence in women capabilities is heavily debated, she roots on strong friendships and girl bosses like Sunki co-founders, Micah, Gaby, and Candice to help her help change the world: “There are no other people I’d rather be on this co-parenting journey with than my friends”. 

Spark confidence in you and the earth with sustainable pieces from Sunki, here.

Jana and The Good Trade

Whether it's for the community, for the self, or for business and commerce, sustainability is ALWAYS an option. That’s exactly what Jana from The Good Trade advocates for.  What started out as a passion project to help entrepreneurs and individuals shift to the more sustainable option, The Good Trade PH has now turned into a community of changemakers all motivated to make a positive impact on the world:

 Through The Good Trade, I hope people continually choose to live a life that’s good and does good. I realized that It all started with the desire to give back. I actually carve out time during weekends to make a positive impact. That’s when it hit me that that shouldn’t be the case; making an impact shouldn’t be a one time, big time thing rather it should be a habitual, continuous effort.

Whether it’s volunteering for the community, joining events and fair trade markets, Jana roots her motivation on her hardships. She says embracing her eco-conscious living self was hard because of the lack of options around her to help make her make that shift. So, she decided to create a space made of sustainable, inclusive, and accessible choices for her and the community.  When asked what sustainability meant for her, Jana says it’s all about making positive change, to do and live good:

When our actions and choices reflect our values and beliefs (such as caring for the planet and the people), we are empowered to create change. This is at the heart of what we do at The Good Trade as we work towards a circular economy that's accessible to all.

Her inspirations to power through the sustainability movement are ​​Rachel Brathen and Reese Fernandez who are sustainable leaders in their own right. 

You can read more about her story, and pledge to be a changemaker with her on The Good Trade PH. 

Change Is Easy With Halia

By giving you accessible options to help reduce your ecological footprint, these phenomenal women have proven that making that sustainable lifestyle change doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, everything is starting to have a greener alternative — it’s up to you to take that stand with us!

With Halia, we’re even making periods more sustainable — one cycle at a time. We’re turning renewable fibers and bio-based materials into biodegradable consumer goods. Not only does this reduce the need for single-use plastic, but we also eliminate harmful chemicals from our everyday products. So you and the world can stay hello to a better, cleaner, flow. 

Join the earth-loving  movement with us, today. Shop Halia Now.