Innovation

The vision of Matías, when creating Ondulé, was "to develop a toy for children that captures their imagination and creativity, but also that collaborates with reducing the use of plastic and promoting recycled cardboard as main raw material, while gives employment to low-income women head of family and vulnerable young people". Ondulé collaborates with SDG 4, promoting an inclusive and equitable education and encouraging lifelong learning opportunities for employment.

Inspiration

Matías Portela created Ondulé, when he felt "the need to change the reality that hurtled me due to inequality and the lack of opportunities, so I decided to contribute by creating a company that would generate employment and value for society from an economic and social point of view."

By exploring this feeling and idea, he created Ondulé, and as he defines his entrepreneurship like, "we try to bring happiness to children by caring for the environment and offering opportunities to people who have it least filled our hearts to make it come true."

Overall impact

The short term effects are the reduction of cardboard from waste, the impact on children creativity development, and the employment inclusion of vulnerable people.

Regarding long term effects, all the short term effects are continued and also the project can have a good growth, with more selling channels, in Argentina and also exporting the toys.

Regarding the cardboard reused in 2021, Ondulé has recycled 70,000 kg from 20,000 toys sold.

This company hires on regular season 6 women and in peak times this number, doubles. Regarding the supplier, the cooperative has between 15 to 50 members active, depending on the time of the year.

Business benefit

It took three years for them to reach the breakeven point. They have some set backs, but during the pandemic, they developed electronic commerce and since then, sales volume grew exponentially.

In 2020 their sales grew by 60% compared to 2019

During 2021 sales also grew by 60%, selling 20,000 units.

65% of its sales are channeled through toy stores (more than 400 points of sale), 15% through electronic sales and 20% through business gifts.

They have two product lines, large toys for larger gifts, and inexpensive toys, for less emotional gifts.

It is interesting to explain the way they put the sale price. To establish the sale price, they conducted a survey with clients. The survey suggested a sale price for the small toy style of $40, since the toy stores want a 100% margin, the wholesale price for sale should be $20 and in turn the manufacturing cost would have to be $10.

Social and environmental benefit

From an environmental point of view, the company gives a second life to the cardboard that is discarded from shops and industries. For post-consumption, the toys have seeds so that the children, when they finish the use, can buried the cardboard and wait for a plant to be born. Promoting a circular economy.

From the social point of view, the company generates formal job opportunities for people excluded from the system due to a lack of education or access. The company purchase the raw material from cardboard cooperatives and the packaging process is outsourced to women who are head of family and marginalized by society.

Interview

Matias Portela, Founder