We only produce what we would wear ourselves
VAUDE’s roots are in mountain sports and our customers have high expectations of the quality and performance of our products. The safety and health of our customers is something that we care about deeply.
Many VAUDE employees are active themselves in mountain sports or biking, and demand the highest quality and exceptional functionality for their products, just as our customers do. Their apparel and gear should offer dependable protection from wind, rain and sun, facilitate athletic performance and be a daily, valued companion for many years.
Top priority: harmful substances management and product safety
The management of harmful substances and product safety have a high priority in our quality management system. The Quality Management division reports directly to the Executive Committee.
Consumers are becoming increasingly more critical, and expect high-quality, safe, healthy and environmentally friendly manufactured products. We take this growing demand very seriously. Even legal regulations are becoming more stringent and the burden they entail more complex and costly. Also in this area we want to take the lead and not wait until new laws are made to react.
Consistent avoidance of harmful substances
As a company that takes its responsibility seriously, VAUDE sets the highest standards in functionality and environmentally friendly manufacturing of its products. Therefore, for more than ten years, we have worked together with bluesign® technologies ag.
bluesign® is the most stringent manufacturing standard in the textile industry; it consistently avoids harmful substances along the entire production chain, using best available technologies. The bluesign® limits are more stringent than the legally prescribed limits.
Special tests when it comes to safety
All safety-related items such as child carriers and avalanche backpacks are subjected to a detailed risk assessment and a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) which includes construction, system, and production process.
This risk analysis is drawn up and evaluated by a team with members from design, product management, production and quality management. The goal is to detect during development possible weaknesses and risks related to consumer safety and to initiate appropriate corrective and preventive actions.
Tracking down potential improvements
In addition, we analyze the repairs made by our product service department to acquire more information about where further potential for improvement exists. Despite all of our efforts, however, 100-percent safety cannot be guaranteed.
Monitoring, analyzing and deriving corrective action are important tools for ensuring or increasing product and consumer safety. For many of our products, detailed instructions or usage instructions are made, which are an additional protection against misuse.
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Examination by an independent third party
All products that have a direct impact on the safety of our customers, such as child carriers or avalanche backpacks, are checked by independent third parties such as the "TÜV Süd". These products are provided with the appropriate labels such as GS label, CE label, etc.
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Working together on improvements
The textile supply chain is very complex: materials are usually produced more than two years prior to the time that a product finally arrives in retail. This means that current problems cannot be addressed immediately or measures can only be implemented at a later point in time.
Legislation in producing countries is often not as stringent as that in European countries. Therefore you have to consistently educate and raise the awareness of all parties within the supply chain. A family company such as VAUDE can only achieve this together with strategic partners and in collaboration with the competition. That is why we work together with bluesign® technologies ag, the BSI, the EOG and ZDHC. Only by working together with others, including larger companies, can we achieve sustainable change.
The VAUDE quality team in Asia monitors compliance with our high standards of quality in all production facilities. Product managers and quality management receive regular feedback of all information. This information is a key part of our continuous improvement process.
In order to improve the sustainability and safety of our products even further, we have revised our Green Shape criteria. The entire product life cycle is taken into consideration and evaluated.
In order to improve the sustainability and safety of our products even further, we have revised our Green Shape criteria. The entire product life cycle is taken into consideration and evaluated.
Intensive dialogue with suppliers
Our frequent random sampling system for testing for harmful substances is an indicator of the status of our suppliers. The results have a direct influence on supplier evaluation and thus on supplier strategy as well. All abnormalities are reflected back to our supply chain, and corrective action and preventative measures are planned.
We recognize our responsibility for the conditions under which VAUDE products are manufactured worldwide. We gladly accept this responsibility as a permanent challenge in a globalized market.
Training for suppliers
This, however, does not mean that we leave our partners alone with these challenges. Our producers are evaluated in terms of their knowledge and level of development in the areas of environmental management and pollution. A training and support program will then be initiated for each supplier.
Raising the awareness of suppliers with respect to pollutants in the supply chain and continuing to deepen the knowledge of all those involved is an essential factor for us in the aspect of consumer health and safety.
Many VAUDE products are manufactured with long-term suppliers. VAUDE has a long tradition of partnership, responsible and personal relationships, both in Europe and in many other countries as well.
