The first time Harold got interested in human waste hair was 10 years ago when he was a high school student. At the time, the Philippine government had strictly regulated the use of single-use plastics to protect the environment, naturally making alternatives to plastic a hot topic in school. Harold's teacher introduced his class to unique materials such as seaweed and hair, in addition to commonly considered plastic alternatives like bamboo and corn. Particularly, the fact that hair can be used as an alternative to soft plastics like nylon and PET was fascinating. Harold decided to research hair for his school project and was amazed by its limitless potential.

"I never knew that hair could have such a wide range of uses! With its strong structural properties, I thought we could create many good recycled products. At that time, I even joked with my friends about starting a hair recycling business, but being a high school student, I couldn't take the courage to actually start a business."

After graduating from college, Harold worked in the capital city, Manila, but the thought of starting his own business always lingered in his mind. Then, he returned to his hometown of Iligan due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At a local salon, he saw the enormous amount of hair being discarded and flashed back to the business idea from his high school era. In 2021, Harold eventually started Capilli Trading, recycling human waste hair, to protect the Philippine environment and boost the local economy.

When Harold first conceived his business, he was shocked about the enormous quantities of hair being discarded into rivers and onto land. Despite being a small city in the northern Philippines, his hometown of Iligan produced over 66 tons of hair waste annually. Almost the weight of hair equivalent to five buses have been discarded each year. Since discarded hair takes two years to decompose, it inevitably leads to severe environmental pollution.

"Currently, not only in the Philippines but in many societies, discarded hair is simply treated as useless waste. For the past 20 years, we've constantly heard about the need to recycle paper and plastic, but no one has paid attention to the waste of hair."

Capilli Trading purchases discarded hair from salons, transforming it into a variety of sustainable products. The most notable product is a felted hair mat for oil and chemical spillage. The material for hair mats is easier and cheaper to obtain, and it can absorb pollutants much faster than traditional absorbent mats. Thanks to its nature, people could comfortably use it in spill incidents, where lots of mats are needed.

Recently, Capilli Trading has also produced hair mats for plants and agriculture. The mats can prevent excessive moisture loss due to UV exposure by covering the soil. Moreover, the nitrogen and keratin contained in the hair provide nutrients that promote plant growth. Capilli Trading plans to continue developing various hair recycling products that would benefit the environment.

Capilli Trading not only contributes to environmental protection but also stimulates the local economy. Firstly, it employs women from a local community cooperative, San Roque MPC. They collect hair from salons, manage distribution, and directly manufacture products. Since most of these women are housewives with no income, working at Capilli Trading provides significant financial support for their families.

Additionally, Capilli Trading cooperates with local salons of Iligan saloons and purchases hair from hair stylists. The hair stylists in the Philippines only earn approximately $20,000 on average, which is less than half of the average monthly salary in the Philippines, around $45,000. By selling discarded hair to Capilli Trading, they can gain additional income. Likewise, Capilli Trading encourages local people with low income to actively participate in the business.

"Capilli Trading aims to let the local community gain additional income through hair that would otherwise be discarded. Moreover, people are building socially positive relationships by interacting with one another. I hope that everyone can find value in things around them that are often considered useless by others.”

Capilli Trading will continue recycling hair to protect the Philippine environment and promote the economy of the local community. Meanwhile, it hopes to hire more employees, generating circular impacts on social and economic value within the community. Harold plans to gradually collaborate with hair salons in other cities, extending positive impacts across the whole Philippines. Join the future of Capilli Trading, creating a cleaner Philippines!