“This is what drives us and is a matter close to our hearts. With holistic concepts and sustainable, innovative products we are consistently moving forward along our green path,” said Antje von Dewitz, Managing Director of the outdoor outfitter VAUDE, regarding the company’s sustainability strategy. For the second time VAUDE has published its sustainability report based on the international standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 which is committed to maximum transparency. Based on the figures for the financial year 2014, the report provides a comprehensive picture of the company’s economic, environmental and social performance. It also provides a basis for comparison with the previous year’s figures and shows that once again, VAUDE has improved in many areas.
At VAUDE, sustainability is inseparable from the company philosophy. In accordance with the GRI standards, the new sustainability report conveys a clear and transparent picture of the company, backed up by new figures. At the same time, the survey serves as a guide for future improvements. At our sustainability website, you’ll find the most important report content in a well presented and clear format under the headings Product, Environmental and Social.
High standard of improvements
Compared with last year’s figures, VAUDE continued to improve in many areas, even though the company was already at a high level with its commitment to sustainability. The percentage of ecological products increased: 87% of the Summer 2014 Clothing Collection bore the Green Shape label distinguishing VAUDE products manufactured with particularly environmentally friendly manufacturing (Summer 2013: 69%). Starting with the Winter Collection 2015/16 VAUDE is introducing Green Shape 2.0 with even stricter criteria: for example, the entire product life cycle must meet high ecological requirements and the production facilities are required to have verified social standards. VAUDE employees’ ecological commitment also increased with 53,672 kilometers of bike commuting in 2014, nearly 10,000 kilometers more than the previous year. Since 2012, the company has been 100% carbon neutral at the Tettnang Headquarters in Southern Germany. Also in 2014, harmful emissions per employee and per ton of manufactured products were further reduced. VAUDE compensated for all unavoidable emissions with a compensation payment to a climate protection project of the myclimate non-profit organization that has now been documented in a film. Antje von Dewitz makes it clear that sustainability is a long term commitment which VAUDE is passionately pursuing: “We want to be a sustainable company through and through. Each year we come a little closer to our vision.
Additional CSR standards and news page
To fully represent its commitment, the VAUDE sustainability website also features other CSR standards from the company, such as the Economy for the Common Good balance sheet, audited and published in 2015, which assessed the company’s success not only in terms of financial profit but also in terms of its contribution to the common good. Another example: the audit report results of the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF), which campaigns for fair working conditions in the textile industry. In 2014 VAUDE achieved FWF Leader status when 96 percent of total production was produced in facilities that had been checked in accordance with FWF specifications. The EMAS environmental statement with comprehensive environmental measures that will be validated annually by an independent environmental verifier is also to be found here. There is also a news category at the website, providing information on current topics and developments at VAUDE in the field of sustainability.
Link to the new VAUDE Sustainability Report: http://csr-report.vaude.com/gri-en/
Link to the News Page with the new myclimate film: http://csr-report.vaude.com/gri-en/news.php
INFO: VAUDE
