"We are pleased that we were listed not once, but twice among the five best companies in Germany. Even though we didn’t achieve first place, it is a great endorsement of our level of commitment. We would like to congratulate the winners, Rapunzel and Weleda, which have been consistently dedicated to sustainability for decades, inspiring others," said VAUDE CEO Antje von Dewitz on Tuesday, January 24, 2017, at the Awards Ceremony in Berlin where she participated in a panel discussion. The nomination alone serves as both an incentive and an obligation, and demonstrates that VAUDE is distinguished by exemplary and responsible corporate governance. A total of 25 companies were nominated in five categories for the CSR Awards.
"Human rights and agreed upon working standards, social standards and environmental standards must be in effect, not only inside Germany’s factory gates, but everywhere in the world. The winners have shown that it is possible to combine social responsibility and business success," said Andrea Nahles, Federal Minister for Labor and Social Affairs and patron of the CSR Award.
Selected in this category were companies taking on ecological, economic and social responsibility – and helping to shape future-oriented business models. At VAUDE, the sustainability strategy has been anchored throughout all business segments for many years. With a great deal of passion and commitment, VAUDE employees implement these values every day. VAUDE stands for innovative and environmentally friendly products made with fair manufacturing. The company goes beyond industry standards as works as a pioneer, setting ecological and social standards worldwide. "We are also showing that sustainable development is economically successful and encourages innovation," said Antje von Dewitz, whose company is growing at above-average rates in the highly competitive environment of the European outdoor market and is considered one of its most successful brands.
VAUDE consistently takes a more sustainable approach regarding environmental management throughout the supply chain of its products. This involves the implementation of environmental standards for material suppliers as well as manufacturers, along with compliance with social standards in production. "With the bluesign® system and the Fair Wear Foundation, we are achieving a high level of safety in our supply chain. We’ve engaged in a great deal of pioneering work in the industry – time and again, we’ve taken on a leading role," said Antje von Dewitz.
In order to align its entire global supply chain – including suppliers – to high environmental and social standards, VAUDE has launched a pilot project. As part of the "develoPPP.de" program funded by the Deutsche Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG), VAUDE is providing its material suppliers with support to introduce or continue improvement of environmental protection policies. The aim is to raise awareness and empowerment of selected VAUDE material suppliers in its Asian procurement markets (e.g. in Vietnam, China or Taiwan), so that together, ever higher environmental and social standards can be implemented in the supply chain. The project is scheduled for two years after which it will serve as a “best practice” model for the textile industry.
