06162016Thu
Last updateFri, 10 Jun 2016 6am

Giving back to Mexico’s neediest

Aguagente has committed itself to an ambitious social responsibility program, pledging its support for the nonprofit group Techo, which builds homes for Mexico’s poorest citizens. 

SEE: AGUAGENTE, THE NETFLIX OF POINT-OF-USE PURIFIED WATER

Says co-founder Garry Lea: “We’re wiling to put 0.7 percent of our revenues to social responsibility, even if we’re loosing money. That may not sound like a lot but some 50 years ago all the rich nations promised 0.7 percent of their GDP to go to help developing or poor nations, and there’s only a few that have actually achieved that. We chose this figure because we want to show that a small company like ours can help the extreme poor in a way that is so difficult for corporations or rich countries to do. So I suppose it is a kind of political statement.”

Adds Jean-Paul Ciantar: “It’s kind of become a minimum requirement for big companies to have some kind of social responsibility program. But often it’s a guilt thing, separate and aside, and not at the core of the business. We’ve put social responsibility at the center of our business and built out from that. Our investors want this too, and that’s very important for us.”

The Aguagente app also includes tick boxes that allow clients to match the 0.7 percent donation, making their monthly fee 200.20 pesos, instead of 199 pesos. “That one little action doubles our social responsibility budget,” Ciantar says.

Techo and Aguagente will collaborate in the construction of homes in El Zapote, Tlajomulco on June 25 and 26. See facebook.com/aguagente for more details. 

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