Good practice:

Green employment at Old Blue Company

Old Blue was founded in 2014 for reuse of jeans and denim, textile, shading canvas and sponge. The company manufactures a wide range of products from small everyday items to furniture and carpets. The founder of Old Blue is committed to environmental protection and reuse. He recognized the problem of the growing amount of waste from the fashion industry and the significant pollution coming from producing jeans, so he started to promote reuse.
The company works with 6 permanent and 5 temporary employees. Most of the colleagues (cutters, sewers) are subcontractors or outside workers. Full time colleagues work in the shop and in the office (operation, customer service, finance, administration). Among the part time and temporary workers tailors, warehouse workers and drivers can be found. These people were either unemployed before finding this job, or they had another low salary job. Old Blue trained them for smaller subtasks.

Human, technical and financial resources are needed for the operation. Company works with 11 employees and needs operation building, warehouse, machinery and vehicles. Old Blue has a shop and a showroom, as well.

The success factors are as follows: 7 years of operation; 250 tons of jeans reused so far; 300 tons of sponge reused so far; increasing sales; increasing number of cooperating partners; the amount of textile waste decreased significantly; increasing number of employees.

We consider this initiative as being potentially interesting to learn from, because in addition to conveying the reuse approach, the company produces products that are spectacular and approach-forming in this way as well. The impact of the company's activities on the local economy is also significant, which is achieved through employment on the one hand and through economic activity on the other. In terms of employment, workers with special needs are given a special role.