Innovation

By giving away one water purification filter for each item sold, Dos Banderas links its apparel with clean water. Mauricio Arechavaleta (CEO) facilitates access to drinking water for entire communities, which leads to better health, higher economic productivity, more jobs, and better access to education in Mexico.

"Dos Banderas" means Two Flags. One flag represents the brand of clothes, and the other represents the social movement. When Arechavaleta was studying at Cornell University, he read about water purifying filters on Forbes and had the idea to bring them to Mexico to aid those who didn't have consistent access to pure drinking water. So "Dos Banderas" started with the goal of being a 100% Mexican brand that contributes to sustainable development.

"The innovation of the project is a social movement more than a brand, composed of many people with the desire to contribute to the people in need in Mexico and make a difference." (Arechavaleta, 2017)

The idea is to position the brand very strongly in Mexico and eventually expand to other countries in order to promote a global movement.

Inspiration

According to Arechavaleta, the idea for this innovation emerged from trips with his family to the south of Mexico, where he noticed the lack of clean drinking water. Inconsistent access to pure water is the single highest cause of death worldwide. More than 10 million Mexicans lack this basic necessity. Arechavaleta aspired to make a positive impact by changing that. During an interview, he explained: "Besides doing business, the most important and transcendental thing in life is to leave a positive impact in the lives of others and being able to contribute somehow in other people's lives and that's why I started this innovation, that thanks to many people, has grown a lot and continues going forward."

Overall impact

• Reduce the incidence of illness caused by bacteria in contaminated water and improve access to clean water for entire communities. Arechavaleta commented: "This innovation [aims] to reduce deaths from drinking contaminated water by giving people their own filter to purify water before drinking";
• Generate more jobs and economic productivity;
• Raise awareness by making people aware of the importance of water and challenging them to stop contaminating it. Arechavaleta noted: "This innovation also was created to teach people the importance of tak[ing] care of our own water."

Business benefit

"Dos Banderas" drives sales and enhances market visibility by inviting others to participate in its social effort. The business has already won several prizes for its work.

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Social and environmental benefit

The Dos Banderas movement focuses on one of life's most basic needs: water.

Today, approximately 1 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. Diseases transmitted by consuming contaminated water kill many people every year. Children are especially vulnerable. The World Health Organization reports that more than 3.6% of diseases could be prevented by simply improving water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.

Dos Banderas is responding by giving away water purification filters to help prevent disease and improve the quality of life for vulnerable communities.

Interview

Mauricio Arechavaleta Garza, CEO

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