Butzbach likes to praise itself as the pearl of the Wetterau.

And the small town hides another pearl.

That's where Hess Natur, a pioneer in eco-fashion, is based.

This medium-sized company has particularly shone in recent months.

Most recently, the e-commerce company presented record sales, also thanks to well-running shops.

The best value of 110 million euros fell during the tenure of Managing Director Andrea Ebinger.

However, she surprisingly turned her back on the company in late autumn.

Stefan Mues has been at the helm of Hess Natur-Textilien GmbH & Co. KG since March.

He moved to Hesse from the Calida Group in Bavaria and has over 20 years of experience in internet trading.

Thorsten Winter

Business editor and internet coordinator in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Blue shirt, blue pants, sporty watch: Mues comes to the conversation in casual office chic.

The glasses wearer with the short brown hair does not wear a tie.

Later he will say he doesn't believe in Binder's future.

On the other hand, he says he does believe in the future of shirts that are both suitable for the office and for leisure, whether with a Kent collar or button-down.

And at this point he also sees a starting point for setting a scent mark with his new employer.

Because Hess Natur does not currently have such “classic basics” in its range.

“I would have liked to have worn one of our shirts today with a normal collar,” he says – but he's wearing a different brand as it is.

Especially since stand-up collar shirts, which the Wetterau dealer does offer, are not his thing.

So-called business clothing is also one of the empty spaces in the range.

The inclined customer looks in vain for formal jackets and suits.

A few years ago it was different.

But Mues wants to stay on the course taken by his predecessor.

“We will definitely keep our hands off the suit,” he says.

After all, the suit itself is like the tie: your best days are probably behind you.

"I don't see us in the business segment," emphasizes the new boss, who studied economics in Kassel and gained his first experience in e-commerce.

Against fibers from sea plastic

And even if it's a big trend in the textile industry: He doesn't want to see sea plastic used in clothing from Hess Natur.

Not even the failure with the padded jackets and waistcoats made of recycled polyester, which the retailer brought onto the market with the best of intentions a few years ago, plays a role.

Mues points out that if clothing made with fibers made from sea plastic is washed in the machine, microplastics end up in wastewater, get into the sea and, via fish, ultimately end up in people.

"That's pretty bad." Regardless, the company he manages has the theme of natural fibers and not vague sustainability in its name.

That in turn is tantamount to a promise.

According to Mues, 99.6 percent of the range consists of natural fibers.

"We're still working on the remaining 0.4 percent." In order to get even smaller after the decimal point, the Butzbach-based company is currently replacing elastane with natural rubber.

This should serve the wearing comfort as well as the environment.

To do this, the retailer, in cooperation with its suppliers, relies on so-called better recycling: A fifth of the denim fabrics comes from cut waste, from which a functional sneaker is also made.

With a certain dyeing process, the company wants to reduce the use of raw materials.

Sustainability as a personal drive

When Mues talks about it, it's almost as if he's part of the company's inventory.

However, he doesn't even try to dazzle.

On the contrary, he freely admits a couple of times that he did not know this or that before he took office.

After all, a manager is only human.

And Hess Natur isn't exactly loud on the market.

"We have to move forward more strongly," says Mues, referring to the "sustainability din" of other textile companies.

Mues also has a biography that identifies him as an e-commerce expert, but not as a sustainability specialist.

So why did he apply for the managerial position at Hess Natur?

"That was totally clear to me," he says immediately, smiles and gives three reasons.

Sustainability and e-commerce are two megatrends in retail par excellence.

Secondly, Hess Natur serves both trends - which is why he is convinced that he is in the right place.

Thirdly, he has been doing e-commerce for 20 years.

He sold his first websites while still a student and founded his first start-up in 1999.

Regardless, the 47-year-old manager has a primary school-age son.

"The issue of sustainability has become a driving force for me," he says, speaking in a firm voice but with few gestures and rarely crossing his arms in front of his chest.

If you want to sell sustainably manufactured textiles for your body and home, you won't make a mistake living accordingly yourself.

Mues travels to his family in Bavaria by train instead of by car and also returns to Butzbach.

Not only does he work there, he also lives in the village.

And if there are no appointments, he walks to work, as he assures.

"That's important to me."