''All the techniques to make it more sustainable are there, but you have to be willing to invest in them.''

''Everyone now understands that we have to deal with the world differently, i.e. more consciously.'' Speaking is Bert van Son, founder and CEO of MUD Jeans. MUD Jeans has been a customer of Active Ants since June 2019. The company produces recycled jeans that you can buy or lease.

Big polluter in the industry

''I've worked in the fashion industry for years. From Asia to Europe,'' Bert continues. ''So I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience in this industry. After a sabbatical of four years, I decided to start working with the big polluter in this industry; jeans. But in a different, and my own sustainable way. I wanted to make jeans from organic cotton. And we've been working on that for a while now. 40 percent of our jeans consist of old worn pants and 60 percent of organic cotton. But we want more. We want to go to 100 percent recycled.'' 

Certified B Corporation 

MUD Jeans is now a certified B Corporation. You only get the certification label if you score well in every part of your business on five key points: sustainability, labor rights, transparency, customers and the (local) community. ''B Corps make choices that benefit everyone who interacts with your service or product, including the earth,'' Bert explains. ''Examples of other companies are Tony's Chocolonely and Dopper. With MUD Jeans, we achieved the highest score and are at the top of a list of 4000 companies. So we are actually in the Champions League in terms of performance. And of course we are quite proud of that.'' 

Circular 

''We want less production, which is why you can also lease jeans at MUD Jeans. We are working on a circular basis and therefore a sustainable counterpart in the clothing industry. As said, we are not ready yet. All the techniques to do it on a more sustainable basis are there, but you have to be willing to invest in them." 

Delivery by bicycle 

''We were actively approached by Fietskoeriers. According to them, I was doing well, but it could be better,'' says Bert, laughing. ''They brought me into contact with Active Ants. At that very moment I was looking for a 3PL partner, because we were growing considerably and we could not continue to do this ourselves. After all, packing and shipping is a profession in itself. The ball quickly started rolling. The IT was right and the relocation of the stock could also be done quickly. Moreover, our pants are packed without any filling material. Another sustainable solution. MUD Jeans is now delivered by bike in 33 cities. Active Ants is a very suitable E-fulfilment partner for us, which is a pleasure to work with. For us, fast delivery is not the most important thing. What is important for our customers is that they get delivered. That they receive the jeans that are of value to them.