Environmental protection as a key goal
At VAUDE, environmental protection is an essential element in our corporate values and goals. We want to work holistically and systematically to minimize the environmental impact of our products and our business practices.
In doing so, environmental-protection issues need to be integrated into all company processes. We also need to invest in technical improvements. In addition, VAUDE employees on the CSR team work on environmental and social issues with fixed position percents in their departments. See also CSR Team as a Driving Force for Sustainability.
Environmental Management Systeppem tested and certified in accordance with EMAS
EMAS stands for "Eco-Management and Audit Scheme" and is one of the European Union's environmental policy instruments. EMAS is an environmental management system that helps companies anchor environmental protection firmly in all business processes. An independent environmental auditor annually verifies all published environmental data, whether the company is meeting its own standards, the evaluation of direct and indirect environmental standards as well as the appropriateness of the company’s environmental goals.
To become EMAS certified, we must disclose our environmental goals and report on the direct and indirect environmental impacts of our activities. This annually updated environmental statement is then verified by an accredited independent environmental auditor. We have successfully passed this test every year since 2008 and are therefore EMAS certified and qualify for the EMAS logo.
Click here for the EMAS core indicators.
The Vaude Environmental Policy
VAUDE has an equal obligation to both economic and environmental responsibility. As a mountain sports supplier, it is important to us to protect the “playing field” of our customers and our employees — the great outdoors.
We are committed to the long-term, sustainable use of nature and to active environmental protection.
- at our company facilities
- by means of resource conserving economic activity in our administrative department and production
- by using renewable energy and investing in the preservation of biodiversity
- with our products and suppliers
- by using innovative, environmentally friendly materials and by recycling
- by means of environmentally friendly production techniques
- in the outdoor branch and in society at large
- by means of active environmental policies in professional associations and collaborative environmental protection projects
- by collaborating with environmental associations, universities and public projects such as the Deutschen Nachhaltigkeitskodex (German Sustainability Code).
Our environmental activism reaches far beyond basic legal requirements. We are continuously expanding our commitment to the environment. And: environmental management is a top priority at VAUDE.
Specific expenditure on environmental protection
In the annual planning of environmental goals and the budget, we earmark the necessary funds for CSR measures. This process has been established within the company. The planning and review of all environmental protection-related expenditures through the VAUDE budget process is a sensible strategy that has been proven effective.
CSR measures are integrated into VAUDE segment budgets. In addition, VAUDE makes funds available for the implementation of comprehensive CSR policies in a CSR budget. These include:
In addition to the CSR expenditures listed above, we employ two personnel who work on the ground in Asia with the Fair Wear Foundation. These employees are not included in this reporting as they are related to a subsidiary of VAUDE Sport GmbH & Co in China as well as a representative office in Vietnam.
Many non-quantifiable activities as well
Nevertheless, it remains difficult to express the value of all CSR activities at VAUDE monetarily. In the positions mentioned above, all non-quantifiable activities are missing but they also play an important role.
These primarily include additional costs of materials with a higher level of sustainability in product development, which leads to lower margins and to lower profits. Also included are presentations and lectures held by Antje von Dewitz and her team on CSR issues, the many ongoing efforts of employees who are not permanent members of the CSR team concerning the ecological optimization of their working operations.
"CSR Quota"
In 2014 VAUDE participated in a research study conducted by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen as a project partner. In the study, a benchmark figure was developed which companies could use to put a monetary value on their CSR activities and relate this to their turnover, number of employees or other variables: the so-called "CSR Quota". We are optimistic in this way to obtain a methodology that we can put into practice and, for example, to better quantify our CSR also in this report. We carefully analyzed and discussed the results of the study with the Zeppelin University. It was found that the CSR Quota is not meaningfully applicable as a method for us. The reason lies in the fact that we are convinced that the sustainability of a company increases the more it is integrated into daily business. In the CSR Quota, highly integrated aspects can, however, hardly be calculated because they cannot be cleanly defined as a pure CSR costs. We are therefore continuing to search for a suitable methodology. In the meantime, we will continue to report on our budget approach.
