Avis Mulhall - Talking Shit

Avis Mulhall, founder of Looloo Paper, talks about social innovation and entrepreneurship.

Transcript

6. Let’s talk crap.Seriously. Page%1 Looloo%Paper:%Toilet%paper%that%saves%lives THE%SOCIAL%MARKETPLACE,%OCT%2013 Diseases relating to poor sanitation are the second largest cause of infant mortality across the globe. 2.6 billion people worldwide lack access to adequate sanitation, with women being affected more than men as those who have to travel to use the toilet or to defecate in the open are more susceptible to sexual harassment violence and rape. When girls get their period, they are more reluctant to attend school due to lack of privacy. Diarrhoea-related diseases are responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million children under the age of 5 every year. It kills more children than malaria, measles and AIDS combined. The good news is, despite these grim statistics, 94% of all occurrences of such diseases are in fact avoidable. WASH programs have the potential to save over 2500 lives per day. What’s more, for every $1 invested into WASH, an estimated $8 is returned in increased productivity. Being aware of the problem and being able to talk about it is the first step to wiping out disease. In the words of Rose George in her talk for TED 2013, “Let’s talk crap. Seriously.” OCTOBER%2013 THE%SOCIAL%MARKETPLACE TOILET%PAPER%THAT%SAVES%LIVES Looloo Paper FREE LoolooPaper Toilets( Save(Lives DRINKING'WATER LIVESTOCK WATER WATER CROPS DRINKING'WATER LIVESTOCK CROPS WITHOUT(TOILETS WITH(TOILETS Poo. Diarrhoea. Toilets. Topics rarely talked about. Perhaps because of the disgust factor, or simply because they’re a taboo topic to openly discuss. While adequate sanitation is something that the developed world readily take for granted, it could be a matter of life and death in the developing world. So serious is the situation that “Sanitation For All” is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals adopted by the UN who officially declared November 19th as World Toilet Day (Mark your calendars!) to raise awareness and encourage policies that increase sanitation among the poor. Adequate sanitation when combined with hygienic practices provides an effective barrier to the spread of diseases. A toilet is able to contain and breakdown waste as opposed to it leaking and contaminating water supplies, food sources and disease spreading insects. BY ROSIE MORISON & WINNIE CHOI SOCIAL ENTERPRISE IS REVOLUTIONISING BUSINESS BY JACINTA ASTLES BY LINDA VAN DER TORRE Social enterprise, social business, you’ve probably heard these terms, but what do they actually mean? Most traditional organisations are either for- profit or not-for-profit. Social enterprise is a relatively new form of organisation that operates for- benefit; in other words it exists to address a social issue. Looloo Paper is a social enterprise that uses its profits to fight diarrhoea related disease – one of the most pressing issues facing the developing world. Once the costs of supplying your toilet paper is covered, every last cent is used to fund sanitation projects in the developing world. At Looloo we believe that every person has the right of access to a toilet. So we are working tirelessly to achieve that outcome. And we want consumers to help us. We believe that social enterprise is the business model of the future. Our model of business is based on empowerment. The Rise of the ‘Conscious Consumer’ As explained by our founder, Avis Mulhall, “Engaging with customers and building loyalty is increasingly important to business. People want to know that the businesses they love are giving back and care about the environment.” By supporting Looloo Paper you become part of our story - each purchase you make has a positive impact. All our profits are invested in social businesses in developing countries that sell toilets to local communities. This means that every time you buy our toilet paper you help save lives. To us, social enterprise simply means doing business, better. If you or your business wants to be a part of the Looloo movement, contact our founder, Avis Mulhall at: hello@looloopaper.com. A recent Nielsen survey shows that 2"in"every"3"consumers% around the world say that they prefer to buy products and services from companies that give back to the society and are good for the environment. Consumers are becoming more aware of the impact of their purchases and are now increasingly likely to support business that empower them to make a change. Looloo Paper is part of this consumer movement and envisions a world in which both people and businesses can make a difference through simple everyday consumer choices. We have chosen to fight diarrhoea-related diseases with our profits and every time you purchase a new batch of toilet paper from Looloo, you are supporting us and helping us save lives! Looloo’s founder Avis Mulhall in Tanzania, Africa Page%2 Looloo%Paper:%Toilet%paper%that%saves%lives THE%SOCIAL%MARKETPLACE,%OCT%2013 OCTOBER%2013 THE%SOCIAL%MARKETPLACE TOILET%PAPER%THAT%SAVES%LIVES Looloo Paper FREE LoolooPaper BY JACINTA ASTLES Sanishop is a World Toilet Organisation initiative that works at a grassroots level. As a social business, it trains masons in Cambodia to source, build and maintain toilets, and set up their own sustaining enterprises. Sanishop also empowers local women to sell these toilets to communities at an affordable price. This provides much needed economic opportunities for the men and women involved. The toilets sold raise the sanitation standards of local communities, directly decreasing the rates of diarrhoea-related disease. Looloo Paper and Sanishop are passionate about creating local solutions to local problems. This project allows communities to become self-sufficient by building local economies and raising sanitation standards. This has a direct impact on reducing the 1.5 million child deaths per year that result from preventable, diarrhoea- related disease. That’s how Looloo Paper does good for the world. Where do our profits go? All of the profits from sales of Looloo Paper directly fund a sanitation training program in Cambodia called Sanishop We would love you to be involved We can’t change the world alone, we need your help to grow our business to create an even bigger impact. BY ROSIE MORISON We at Looloo Paper are about to launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise the capital to get our business off the ground. This is where YOU come in. We want to reach as many good folks as possible for this campaign. You can help us by pledging to support the campaign (www.startsomegood.com/Venture/ looloo_paper) and by spreading the word with family and friends. Even hit up that neighbor that you might not know so well. Give us a ‘like’ on our awesome Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and via our blog on Wordpress, and help us to spread our posts and tweets far and wide. We have also built an Ambassador program that gives you a chance to get even more involved in what we do and play an important role in spreading the word about Looloo. Anyone who loves Looloo just as much as we do can be an Ambassador. It doesn’t matter if you have 5 minutes or 5 hours, your help will always be valuable. To find out more email us at hello@looloopaper.com. Project Manager Rosie Morison talking to a Bondi local at the Looloo market stall How does it work? Looloo is a social enterprise 1. that sells toilet paper 2. and uses its profits 3. to train masons to build toilets 4. and trains locals to sell these toilets to their communities 5. which improves sanitation conditions, reduces disease and provides much needed jobs. 6.