Hi!

I’m Ariën, the founder of JUNGA.

You could say the mountains and the outdoors run through my veins. I’ve spent countless hours in nature and developed a deep love for it, thanks to my former job as a military mountain guide, which let me travel and connect with the natural world.

In my early 30s, I became concerned about preserving this amazing playground we’re so lucky to have, and grew more and more aware of the threats posed by climate change and waste. In 2020, I launched Climb for Change, a project to climb four peaks in the Alps, Nepal, and New Zealand to raise funds for Cool Earth, a climate organisation. However, COVID-19 forced its cancellation, revealing the irony of flying worldwide for a climate cause and making me rethink my approach.

I decided to focus on two projects: opening a bouldering gym in my hometown, Wageningen, to meet the area’s climbing needs; and exploring the outdoor industry’s environmental impact, especially in clothing and equipment production.

During this time, I joined an expedition to Kanchenjunga in Nepal, the world’s third-highest mountain (8,586m), becoming the first Dutch person to reach its peak. This experience deepened my commitment to protecting the planet and gave me the idea for my future company’s name. Junga is the abbreviation of Kangchenjunga. :)

For the past two years, I’ve been researching the impacts of the clothing industry and reflecting on the role I’d like to play in tackling this huge problem. One of the most thought-provoking stats I’ve come across is that more than 80% of annual textile waste ends up in landfills or incinerated. It’s painful to imagine, as all this material either takes up nature’s space or pollutes it —the very nature I want to protect.

So, the way was clear: if we produce less, we waste less; if we pass things on instead of throwing them away, we waste less; if we repair what’s broken, we waste less.

JUNGA is born out of that desire to make a circular and zero waste future. The longer we keep gear and clothing in use, the more we protect the planet. And who better to start with than nature lovers? We’re the ones who treasure the outdoors, so it just makes sense that we’d lead the way in preserving them.

Next time you see that backpack gathering dust in the attic, or need a warmer jacket for your next hike, think of using JUNGA to give a new life to an item that already has some love in it.

Welcome to the community!

Big Hug,

Ariën

Inspired by leaders like Ivon Chouinard and Patagonia’s model of steward ownership, we’d like to take a similar approach to the business structure of JUNGA: to create a steward-owned company that puts employees, users and the planet at the forefront.

Steward ownership is not a very widespread model yet, as it takes a fair amount of courage and energy to commit to such a structure. However, we believe it’s the way to ensure JUNGA stays true to its purpose.

This model prioritizes long-term goals and protects our guiding values, reinvests profits in environmental and social projects, empowers employees and stakeholders to stay connected to the mission, and drives innovation and impact.

As our company progresses, we will be able to share with all of you what our specific structure is and where our profits are reinvested. At the moment, we are fully focused on taking JUNGA off the ground and making sure it meets the needs of other nature enthusiasts out there.