Far Eastern University represented by Business Administration students, Ernest Bernstein Zarate, John Kevin Genova, and Clarence Louise Caperal won first place in the Mary Kay Textiles Upcycle Challenge category in the NFTE World Series of Innovation. Every year, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) launches a new set of challenges in the NFTE World Series of Innovation (WSI).
This competition is open for anyone between the ages of 13 to 24 and can be entered into individually or by groups of three. Competitors choose one challenge category sponsored by an organization.
In the Mary Kay Challenge, the FEU team wasrequired to design a product, service or initiative that will create a “circular economy” encouraging the reuse or repurposing of uniforms and/or other used clothing, reducing waste that ends up in landfills and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing textiles.
Watch: https://youtu.be/YGQxSnaQGP8
FEU’s winning entry is Loop Tee Loop, a sustainable clothing loop uniting lyocell textile mills with uniform recycling collection services.
The entries were submitted for initial screening last November 2020. The ten finalists were announced last January 28, 2021 and were required to submit a video pitch for the final round of the competition.
Loop Tee Loop is the only entry from Asia that made it to the finals. The top three winners were announced last April 1, 2021.
The three students, Zarate, Genova, and Caperal, are 3rd year BSBA students under the Marketing Management Specialized track. They are also part of the FEU Junior Marketing Association (JMA) Core Group, a select group of students who are mentored and coached for local and international competitions.
The academic organization adviser and coach is Ms. Maria Carmen Lapuz, faculty, and current BA dept chair. JMA is one of the four academic organizations under the Department of Business Administration.
Related article: Nine Teams Awarded $21K in NFTE Innovation Challenges
