Responsibility for the product end of life

In order to facilitate meaningful repair, re-use or recycling, we at VAUDE try to use designs, select materials and choose the best production processes to ensure that the product can be used as long as possible and then easily disposed of – preferably in the form of recycling. Therefore, VAUDE does not use PTF membranes, for example, that would release toxic fluorine compounds into the environment without expensive special handling.

And if your closet is overflowing? VAUDE products usually make excellent second hand goods and are gladly seen by second or third hand users as donations, gifts or used clothing sales. As users, we can contribute in this way to extending the usage phase of the product – and therefore its sustainability.

VAUDE supports private resale of used products at an eBay Re-Commerce platform. If you want to be a sustainability conscious shopper, you can find used outdoor clothing and mountaineering gear at lower prices. With their purchases or sales, buyers and sellers extend the life cycle of outdoor articles and avoid having still-usable quality products end up as waste.

"The VAUDE Second Use Shop on eBay is another important part of our holistic sustainability strategy. We are pleased to be able to show our commitment to the environment even beyond the eco-friendly production of our merchandise. The longer a product is used, the smaller its ecological footprint." (Antje von Dewitz, VAUDE CEO) Check out the new VAUDE Second Use Shop on eBay.

In Germany, VAUDE works with the umbrella organization FairWertung e.V. which is a national network of over 100 non-profit organizations. Our products have a chance at a second life as second hand clothing or gear with the non-profit FairWertung Organization. Whatever the nonprofit organization cannot use itself, it sells to textile recycling firms to finance its social projects.

At www.fairwertung.de, you can find more information including which FairWertung Organizations collect used products in your region and where their containers are located. In addition, anyone can easily donate products by mail, free of charge: simply print out the address label here, or here, pack up the items (preferably in a used box), and send them to FairWertung.

New in UK: As of November 2016, we support the non for profit organisation Gift Your Gear. Read more...

Within the guarantee period, VAUDE has the right to repair every defective article. Many customers, however, expect a replacement or credit memo rather than a repair. If an article is replaced, we usually repair those with no signs of wear and sell them in our outlet as a grade B product. Products that cannot be sold but are still functional are donated to FairWertung, an umbrella association of nonprofit organizations.

The goal of our repair service is to repair as many product claims as possible and to be able to return them to the customer. However, there are products that we can not repair due to processing or technical material reasons. One example of this is a waterproofing finish on a fabric that is breaking down.

VAUDE is currently not accepting products or packaging for recycling. However, VAUDE was a pioneer in this issue long before the "Green Wave" hit the industry: as early as 1994, the “VAUDE Ecolog Recycling Network” was established – the first recycling system in the industry for pure polyester products with collection and recycling. Ecolog products were technically engineered to be easily returned into the polyester fiber cycle. The “Ecolog Recycling Network” was equipped with the infrastructure needed. However, because too few products were returned to make the system “sustainable”, we had to end the program. From various studies, we know that the amount of collected products must be large enough to compensate for the logistical effort. We also know that a single brand with its own recycling system can only ever remain a niche, and has a very low impact on the overall consumption of raw materials and customer behavior in returning products.

 
Closing the VAUDE material loop in practice remains an important challenge for the coming years.