VAUDE Green Shape

How do you decide whether a material, process or product is “environmentally-friendly”? Especially when there are no worldwide standards, no operating evaluation systems, and no international or uniform “certificates” to go by?

VAUDE is a pioneer in this field and developed its own rating system for environmentally friendly outdoor products in 2010: Green Shape. 

Green Shape is VAUDE’s guarantee for environmentally friendly products – made from sustainable materials and resource-conserving manufacturing. Our goal is to provide the best there is for people and for nature. 

Starting for the Winter Collection 2015/2016, the stricter criteria for VAUDE Green Shape will apply.

Green Shape is explained in just a few minutes in this YouTube-film:

VAUDE is increasing the environmental standards of production with additional criteria such as the refraining from using fluorocarbons and nanotechnology.

Green Shape will consider the entire product life cycle in accordance with even stricter environmental standards – from the design and product development to product care and recycling after use.

Not only the main fabrics used, but also the production sites must meet the high environmental requirements. What’s more, all additional components such as yarns, zips and press studs must meet the strict Green Shape criteria.

The more comprehensive Green Shape approach means that retailers and consumers will be assured of environmentally-friendly products that are not a danger – either to people or to nature. 

• Up until now, the Green Shape criteria included materials but not the entire production process. This has now changed with the new requirements: the entire product life cycle is examined including design, all materials used, the production facility, use and maintenance of the product and potential recycling and/or environmentally-friendly disposal.

• The bluesign® certification of textile materials is an essential foundation of the Green Shape criteria. However, for the production of backpacks, tents, sleeping bags and shoes, we need materials such as metals, foams and other plastics that are out of scope of bluesign®. Therefore, the Green Shape criteria were expanded to include the use of these additional substances and materials.

• bluesign® is an important part of the VAUDE Green Shape criteria. But Green Shape goes beyond bluesign®: Green Shape products may not, for example, contain fluorocarbons, while bluesign® allows their use under strict conditions.

• The new Green Shape guarantee expressly excludes the use of particularly critical materials and technologies such as PVC, fluorocarbons, nanotechnology and solvent-based prints.

Shares Bike Sports Sommer 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016

Shares Bike Sports Winter 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016

Shares Mountain Sports Sommer 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016

Shares Mountain Sports Winter 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016

Development Green Shape Shares in the entire Collection

Until the Summer 2015 Collection a product is Green Shape:

• when it meets the conditions of a "bluesign® product", or
• when it is dyed with VAUDE ecolour – see VAUDE ecolour – conservative dye process
• when it is made of at least 90 percent environmentally-friendly materials:

    • bluesign® approved fabric
    • organic cotton
    • recycled materials
    • a combination of these with at least 35 percent Tencel ® or hemp 

• The VAUDE Green Shape Mountain is our rating system for all products up to and including the Summer 2015 Collection. The closer a product is to the summit, the greater its benefit to the environment. Products with maximal resource efficiency and certified eco-quality: “bluesign® products” are included in the top "Sustainability Summit" area. Ideally, combined with environmentally friendly raw materials such as recycled polyester.

• For the "Camp 2" stage, our product managers combine environmentally friendly materials with the bluesign® approved fabric certification.

• The "Camp 1" stage is for products that are made from at least 90 percent environmentally friendly materials.

• At the "Advanced Base Camp" stage, the product has some kind of eco-advantage, but it’s not enough to fulfill the criteria for a Green Shape product. For example, a t-shirt made from 70 percent organic cotton: good, but not Green Shape.

• At the "Base Camp" stage, we still have our work cut out for us. For many materials and components, there are just no environmentally friendly alternatives which provide the same functionality. Research and development is needed so that innovative materials and technologies will become available as soon as possible.

* Applicability:
These changes will apply starting in the Winter 2015/16 Collection for all new and revised products with new article numbers. Carry-overs and NOS items currently bearing the Green Shape label must meet the new Green Shape criteria within three years.