The Amsterdam MUD Jeans wins the Plaque for Sustainable Entrepreneurship, the ‘Oscar of Dutch business’. The jeans brand received the award because it was the first brand in the world to map the environmental impact of yarn to jeans. “We want to be at the forefront of the world of big mean jeans brands.” “We signed up with the hope that we would go far. But we couldn’t have dreamed that we eventually became the winner,” says van Son. With the prize, he hopes to draw more attention to sustainable and responsible fashion, their own ‘perfect-fitting jeans’ and thereby wants to grow as a company. “We participate in the world of big mean jeans brands. If we want to make an impact, we need to increase volume, produce more efficiently and invest more money in research.”
Queen Máxima and jury chair Klaas Knot, president of De Nederlandsche Bank, presented the prize to founder Bert van Son. The other two finalists were Kipster and EMMA Safety Footwear.
The jury mainly looked at qualities such as perseverance, innovation and a pioneering role in its own industry. MUD Jeans turned out to have all those qualities. According to the report, MUD Jeans is the first jeans brand in the world to calculate the environmental impact of its entire product portfolio using a life cycle assessment. “With this transparency, they are taking the lead in the sector. They are committed to continuously improving sustainability performance and combating greenwashing,” the press release reads.