Since 2011, we have taken on a voluntary commitment for all purchases of supplies for our Tettnang-Obereisenbach site. We want to use our influence as a purchaser in order to support companies, which - like VAUDE - represent sustainability as a corporate philosophy.
Therefore, we place great importance on purchasing and using products that are as environmentally friendly as possible including office supplies, cleaning products, furniture and everything else we need for our business operations at VAUDE.
At our Tettnang-Obereisenbach location, 96% of our paper consumption comes from recycled paper. The bulk of our paper consumption comes from sales documents such as the order books for retailers. The rest includes printer and copier paper, training documents and business cards. In 2015 we were able to significantly reduce our paper consumption compared to the previous year.
We have also significantly reduced harmful climate emissions from printed materials and paper consumption since 2011: for one, we have consistently conserved paper by, for example, completely eliminating a catalogue for end consumers. Secondly, recycled paper is a cause of significantly less emissions than conventional paper. By transitioning most of our paper consumption to eco-friendly recycled paper, we put this leverage to use for our climate balance. More about it at Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Detail.
While Green Shape is a product label that our customers can recognize, VAUDE is also working "behind the scenes" with strict requirements for product development: in the VAUDE Material Policy, VAUDE has voluntarily committed itself to using Best Available Technology (BAT), eliminating the use of controversial technologies and materials, and ensuring maximum traceability of all materials to their origin.
The VAUDE Material Policy is continuously evolving and is constantly gaining importance in product development. Although it is overall successful, finding the right balance between price and environmental friendliness remains difficult. This balancing act is a challenge to our product management. More in Material Policy.
At our Tettnang-Obereisenbach facilities we manufacture waterproof bike bags, Packs 'n Bags and "Made in Germany" mountaineering backpacks - see Made in Germany. Material selection is carried out in accordance with our motto "Performance meets Ecology". More in Environmentally-aware Material Selection.
The following consumption for transport and sales packaging was incurred in 2015:
| Transport packaging for shipments of VAUDE products to retailers |
|
|---|---|
|
Cardboard packaging |
approx. 237 tons |
|
Shrink wrap |
approx. 4 tons |
|
Sales packaging for products manufactured at our Tettnang-Obereisenbach location |
|
|
Cardboard packaging |
approx. 17 ons |
|
Sales packaging for products not manufactured here at our Tettnang-Obereisenbach location* |
|
|
Paper, cardboard, cardboard packaging |
approx.37 tons |
|
Plastic/Foils |
approx. 5 tons |
|
Natural materials such as cotton, etc. |
approx. 1 tons |
Our shipping packages have been optimized in accordance with ecological principles. For more information see Packaging.
Our voluntary obligations are reflected at the best current knowledge in individual areas, and include advice from external experts such as the WWF. We are continuously developing our ongoing voluntary obligations further: we incorporate other areas and supplement or change content when new findings are received.
We want to use this to set an example, that we fulfill our responsibility for people and nature in all areas of our everyday business operations.
| GRI: | G4-EN1 |
| GRI: | G4-DMA Materials |
