Presented to

De La Salle University - Manila

Term 2, A.Y. 2020-2021

In partial fulfillment
of the course
In Business Ethics and Social Responsibility (ABM 12-A)

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Research on the Company of
Messy Bessy

Submitted by:
Casillan, Justin Gabriel M.
Chen, Melissa Jean W.
Ho, Susan L.
Villas, Trisha Gabrielle C.
Villegas, Thea Venice D.

Submitted to:
Dr. Maria Victoria Tibon
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Company Background
A. History
B. Products and services
C. Organizational Structure
II. CSR Programs
A. Program Description
B. Resources
C. Beneficiaries
D. Practices: Targets & Performance
1. Economic Responsibility
2. Legal Responsibility
3. Ethical Responsibility (Integrative model)
4. Philanthropic Responsibility (Social Web)
III. Assessment of CSR Model
 CHAPTER I
COMPANY BACKGROUND

A. History
In 2007, Kristine “Krie” Reyes-Lopez visited the Delancey Street Foundation, an
organization in San Francisco that rehabilitated ex-convicts, substance abusers, and the homeless
into individuals with marketable skills. With the American foundation as her model, Kristine
Reyes-Lopez collaborated with Virlanie Foundation, a home for sexually abused girls and victims
of human trafficking. She then started Messy Bessy with a capital of Php 50,000. Messy Bessy
positions itself as biodegradable, nontoxic, using all-natural ingredients that kill bacteria and
doesn’t emit toxic fumes and chemical residues. Inspired by her experience in San Francisco, she
enabled these young adults to develop a good work ethic and preparedness in a work
environment.

60% of the Messy Bessy workforce are at-risk youth, and Messy Bessy compensates
them through individual mentorship, counseling, financial coaching, and a salary that is managed
to cover all tuition and living expenses and grow a savings account. In 2012, Messy Bessy
formed a partnership with Manila Business College, further strengthening their education
program. In 2015, on the onset of their first college graduate, they established a program called
Helping Ourselves through Sustainable Enterprises (HOUSE) Programme in an effort to scale
and replicate their social innovation. It consists of academics, work ethics such as a tracking chart
for their attendance, values formation, and work tutoring.

During 2016, as it cultivates its workforce, its sales have grown steadily, with an
increase of 40% in that year alone. Currently, Messy Bessy continues its operations and
continuously gains ground as a trusted brand for environment-friendly products and a sustainable
social business model. They have helped hundreds of young adults to become graduates and are
expecting more learners for their education programs.

B. Products and services

Messy Bessy is a line of personal care and home products. Unlike other brands, these
products are natural, biodegradable, and non-toxic. They ensure that their products are free from
harmful chemicals and are environmentally-friendly. They offer various products, such as dish
cleaners, aroma sprays, disinfectants, and detergents. Their products are at an affordable rate,
such as their lowest is at 80 pesos for a 50 mL disinfectant spray, and their highest is at 875 pesos
 for a two-liter refill of cleaning. These products can usually be found at the local drug stores,
Mercury Drug Store, and Watsons, to name a few examples. They can also be found through
online selling platforms, such as Lazada and Shopee.

C. Organizational structure
 CHAPTER II
CSR PROGRAM
A. Program description
According to the founder of Messy Bessy, Krie Lopez, started the company with
the vision of helping disadvantaged youth in a sustainable manner. This started during her
visit to the Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco that made her realize the
capability of businesses to empower the marginalized members of society.
To further elaborate, according to the Delancey Street Foundation, they focus on
the rehabilitation and integration of ex-convicts back into society. This inspired Krie
Lopez to create her own social enterprise (Messy Bessy) that addresses the increasing
rates of uneducated and unemployed young adults in the Philippines.
The official start of the H.O.U.S.E. Foundation was in 2016. Through this, the
founder hopes to extend their program to more beneficiaries.

B. Resources
Messy Bessy started the business with an initial capital of Php 50,000. According
to Krie Lopez, she started by gathering online recipes for natural cleansers which she
then experimented on. The target market that she had in mind were consumers who did
not have the time to make the product themselves. To start, she tested her products on her
friends and family. Then, she sourced the bottles and designed the labels herself with her
first marketing initiative being the selling of products through Christmas bazaars and
online.
The resources that she uses for her products are all biodegradable, non-toxic, and
all-natural. This is to ensure that it adheres to its function as a cleaning product, while
also not having to emit toxic fumes and chemical residues. Krie Lopez explained that
through this, it can help the planet and also the consumers who use this since their
exposure to toxic fumes coming from synthetic cleaning products is diminished. To
provide more insight on their products, Krie Lopez said that their products are mostly
made from sugarcane vinegar, essential oils, and the like.

C. Beneficiaries
The H.O.U.S.E. Foundation aims to help at-risk youth. According to an interview
between Inkline reporter, Portia Ladrido, and the Head of Sustainability at Messy Bessy,
Abee Magallona, the beneficiaries have ages ranging from 18-30. It is also stated that the
beneficiaries are mostly males. Among the beneficiaries, 70% are said to come from
Tondo, Manila and other distressed communities within Metro Manila.

D. Practices: Targets & performance

a. Economic responsibility
 Messy Bessy has been running its business operations since 2007.
According to their business profile in Owler, they have an annual revenue of Php
28.5 million.
Aside from that, their business remains profitable despite the pandemic.
They continuously adapt to the demands of their market, such as switching to e-
commerce and product modifications. With their strategy, they were able to
resume business operations just 2 weeks after the Enhanced Community
Quarantine started.
b. Legal responsibility
Messy Bessy Cleaners Inc. is registered under the Department of Trade
Industry and the Food and Drug Administration as a Cosmetic Trader. They
produce biodegradable and non-toxic home and personal care products that are
high quality and safe. They ensure that they are in compliance with the law as
they provide a safe working space for their workers and employees.
c. Ethical responsibility
Through the H.O.U.S.E. program, Messy Bessy sharpens the skills of their
employees and enhances their work ethics through training and education. They
provide values formation, sexual health education, guidance counselling, and
formal education to their employees.
Additionally, they produce personal and home care products that are made
from locally sourced plant-derived ingredients, which is good for the environment
and the people. This is because they are non-toxic and all natural which reduces
risk of infection.
d. Philanthropic responsibility
As their business grew, they have partnered with other companies in order
to replicate its inclusive model. They have employees training with other
enterprises such as Happy Skin Cosmetics, Starbucks Philippines and
Straightforward Clothing. Messy Bessy aims to engage at least 50 private and
non-profit partners in sourcing learners, supporting their development through
knowledge and technology sharing, and providing additional training and
employment opportunities.
 CHAPTER III
ASSESSMENT OF CSR MODEL

Economic View
Messy Bessy has been running their business operations since 2007 with annual revenue
of Php 28.5 billion. Their business has remained profitable despite the ongoing pandemic for
they have continuously adapted to the demands of their market, such as switching to e-commerce
and product modifications. With this, they were able to resume business operations just 2 weeks
after the Enhanced Community Quarantine protocols have been taken into effect.
Being able to have consistent sales is important to the company to keep them afloat, but
as mentioned before, Messy Bessy is the primary social enterprise led by the H.OU.S.E.
Foundation who aims to help at-risk youth so their main priority is to produce job and education
opportunities for the disadvantaged (e.g., formerly abused, trafficked, out-of-school,
impoverished) youth, and to provide eco-friendly cleaning products to the market. Messy Bessy
does not provide a long-term job for the aforementioned youth, but they are giving them a
chance to turn their life around and be able to have access to education and other benefits.

Philanthropic Model
Though not a necessary responsibility of the company, Messy Bessy has shared its
business model specifically in its workforce inclusivity and training program. As they continue
to share and train individuals that may contribute to the betterment of society, their business can
be recognized as a business of philanthropy that aims to serve not only its own employees the
training and job security their workforce entails but also to other corporations that are willing to
adapt their social venture.

In further review, we can see the expansion of the brand through numerous partnerships
that aim to support the development and brand of the company alongside its beneficiaries. With
these partnerships, we can see that it is for the reason of reputation and the upholding of their
social cause as a main part of the company’s identity. It is not mainly an economic or financial
reason for the company to continue its social venture. With that said, the business is considered
fully ethical and acts on the role of social responsibility through the perspective of the
philanthropic model,

Social Web Model

In view of the Social Web Model of Corporate Social Responsibility, the company has
followed in accordance with the laws of the Department of Trade Industry and the Food and
Drug Administration of the Philippines and is legally registered as a cosmetics business. It has
strictly followed the enacted law R.A. 8970 which prohibits the manufacture, importation,
distribution, and sale of laundry and industrial detergents containing hard surfactants and
providing penalties for those who violate this.

In regard to the “Kantian” theory of business ethics, it has prevented use of harmful
substances not only to follow the law but also to not cause harm to the environment as part of its
advocacy to remain eco-friendly. It’s inclusive hiring process and mission to help at-risk and
incarcerated individuals integrate into society with job experience has not only respected human
rights as a “Moral Minimum” and value the individuals’ learning experience before receiving the
recommendation from the company for their employees’ future endeavors and careers. It follows
the right to safe and healthy workplaces and upholds the lawful and ethical standards of a safe
product.

Integrative Model
Through the H.OU.S.E. program, Messy Bessy’s primary goal is to provide work and
education opportunities to disadvantaged youth. They provide work training that will enhance
the skills of their employees and improve their work ethics through training and education. They
provide values formation, sexual health education, guidance counseling, and formal education to
their employees. (Job Street, n.d.)
However, their goal is not to make them long time employees of Messy Bessy, but
instead that they find a job in a different company with the skills they acquired at Messy Bessy
and the education they have received in parallel. In short, Messy Bessy provides them an
opportunity to have access to education and other benefits in exchange for their work and labor
to the company (BCtAInitiative, 2018).
Furthermore, their personal and home care products are made from locally sourced plant-
derived ingredients, which is good for the environment and the people. This is because they are
non-toxic & all-natural which reduces the risk of infection and they promote the use of greener
products as their way to combat global warming.
 REFERENCES

Job Street. (n.d.). Working at Messy Bessy Cleaners, Inc company profile and information:

JobStreet.com Philippines. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from

https://www.jobstreet.com.ph/en/companies/698636-messy-bessy-cleaners-inc

Yaptinchay, D.Y. (April 2020). Messy Bessy: Calm and clean before the storm. The Secret

Sauce. Retrieved on January 26, 2021 from: https://thesecretsaucelab.com/blog/messy-

bessy-calm-and-clean-before-the-storm

How Krie Reyes-Lopez busts down “invisible barriers” for at-risk youth (November 2020).

Pursuit of Passion. Retrieved on January 25, 2021 from:

https://pursuitofpassion.ph/featured/balancing-people-planet-and-profit-amid-the-

pandemic/

Messy Bessy profile. (N.D.) Owler. Retrieved on January 26, 2021 from:

https://www.owler.com/company/messybessy

Ladrido, P. (May, 2019). Cleaning products that are helping Philippines’ at-risk youth. Inkline.

Retrieved on January 27, 2021 from: https://the-inkline.com/2019/05/05/cleaning-

products-that-are-helping-philippines-at-risk-youth/

Enriquez, M. (September, 2012). Meet the lady behind Messy Bessy. Inquirer.net. Retrieved on

January 27, 2021 from: https://business.inquirer.net/83438/meet-the-lady-behind-messy-

bessy

H.O.U.S.E foundation: Who we are. (N.D.). H.O.U.S.E. foundation. Retrieved on January 27,

2021 from: https://www.housefoundation.com.ph/who-we-are