Sustainable working environments are part and parcel of your VAUDE product

With our goal of creating progressive, healthy workspaces for our approx. 500 employees, modern and environmentally friendly office designs, a ‘green’ campus, climbing wall, organic canteen and much more were incorporated so that the brand values of VAUDE, a sustainable, innovative outdoor outfitter, can be experienced at the company premises. As a sustainable outdoor supplier, VAUDE is able to express its brand values at its own company buildings.

Want to come for a visit and experience VAUDE first hand? Irina Heilmann, our Indoor Tour Guide, is looking forward to hearing from you.

The entire reconstruction took place in accordance with the strictest environmental criteria. The result is a "Green Building" with DGNB Silver Certification, in which all aspects of sustainable building are realized, such as ecological building materials and a maximally energy-efficient building structure.

More on VAUDE's Silver certification and DGNB evaluation system

After the launch of the major renovation in November 2012, the company premises were completely remodeled and refurbished concurrent with normal operations over two phases of construction and a period of nearly three years.

The renovation cost 7 million Euros and introduced 3,000 m2 of extra office space.

Untreated wood, bright lighting and open design concepts characterize the new working spaces that are tailored to the needs of employees. The results: modern open-plan offices with many private spaces, meeting rooms, communication areas and lounges. The work stations are equipped with high quality ergonomic, height-adjustable desks, sophisticated lighting concepts and soundproofing measures.

In addition, special equipment based on each area’s needs was added. For example, the windows in the product development department are made from true-color flint glass, which facilitates the work of the clothing designers.

Where parking spaces and asphalt previously lined the path to the main entrance, a campus-like courtyard with sweeping green areas was created which was designed taking our Biodiversity Concept into consideration. The center of the inner courtyard features a 10-meter-high climbing wall, which offers an athletic challenge for all the climbing fans who work at VAUDE.

Right next to that, a large wooden patio invites one to a relaxed outdoor dining. Parking spaces eliminated during the restructuring were deliberately left unreplaced; instead, employees have been encouraged to engage in eco-friendly commuting, for example with company owned e-bikes or using a shuttle service. More at "Bike Commuting"

Healthy working conditions include a good diet. “We decided to offer our employees healthy meal options, and quickly realized that we would either have to go all in, or not at all,” said Erwin Gutensohn. So VAUDE constructed an extensive canteen with a professional, fully equipped kitchen that prepares fresh organic food daily. The ingredients are primarily locally sourced from organic farms.

Healthy working conditions include a good diet. “We decided to offer our employees healthy meal options, and quickly realized that we would either have to go all in, or not at all,” said Erwin Gutensohn. So VAUDE constructed an extensive canteen with a professional, fully equipped kitchen that prepares fresh organic food daily. The ingredients are primarily locally sourced from organic farms.

You can pre-order lunch at our organic canteen here.

Examples of ecological awareness can be found everywhere. For example, the carpets were made from recycled abandoned fishing nets that pose a grave danger for fish in our seas. Walaba wood from Surinam, which is retrieved from a dam, was used for the wooden terrace. This contains huge amounts of high-quality wood, which in the coming years would release unused rotten and climate-damaging methane.

On April 27, 2015, during a violent thunderstorm, lightning hit the roof of the production building. The building was immediately set in flames, and although firefighters arrived in large numbers just minutes later, the building wasn't able to be saved due to the large amounts of extinguishing and rain water. All production had to be temporarily moved to a rented facility nearby and all models continued to be produced there at the same high standards.

VAUDE has made a clear commitment to its production site in Tettnang-Obereisenbach. The Manufaktur moved back into its new facilities on the company's premises at the end of 2016. Along with the reconstructed office building of 2015, the new Manufaktur building was erected in accordance with strict environmental criteria. The optimized production capacities will allow us to expand our "Made in Germany" production. 

The former manufacturing building is undergoing renovation and will now host the accounting department, the marketing warehouse and a large space for occupational health management.

Read more about our Manufaktur and Made in Germany Production.

How the VAUDE company headquarters looked before the conversion ...

... during the various phases of construction ...

... during the conversion phase ...

... and after the final inspection.