Employee mobility at VAUDE is already climate neutral. Nevertheless, we are continuing to reduce emissions: 25% by 2024. To achieve this, we are also focusing on e-mobility.
Curbing climate change
We are at a turning point in time: Climate change is one of the central challenges facing humanity. Stopping global warming is an obligation for us all. VAUDE is taking responsibility and moving forward. In order to protect the environment, we consistently aim for climate neutrality in all of our business segments
Employee mobility at VAUDE is already climate neutral
Since 2011, we have been recording all emissions originating from business travel, our vehicle fleet and commuting, and we pay a carbon offset to the myclimate project. More about this here.
We therefore know that employee mobility is one of the largest items in our climate balance sheet every year. We have a great need for action on this issue in order to keep reducing emissions from employee mobility, for example by switching to electric vehicles.
Specifically, our goal is to reduce emissions from employee mobility 25 % by 2024 compared with 2018.
Vehicle fleet becomes E-mobile
This is why we are gradually converting our fleet to electric vehicles. The fact that the vehicles are charged with 100 % green electricity during working hours at our company headquarters speaks for the company’s climate friendliness.
In addition, electric cars don’t emit CO2 or particulate matter while driving, unlike vehicles with combustion engines. Materials, production and the recyclability of batteries are becoming increasingly eco-friendly. VW, for example, is setting a good example and will begin to manufacture its own e-models with climate neutral production.
At the same time, we are pursuing the following goals in the restructuring of our company fleet:
Reduction of number of vehicles
Reduction in the number of kilometers driven
Driver training for greater safety and lower fuel consumption
Driving distances and charging times have improved
Now that electric mobility is finally developing strongly thanks to a political tailwind, electric cars will soon be on par with internal combustion engines. Driving ranges are increasing – 400 - 500 km per charge are now realistic. In the near future, the time needed to recharge your battery will be just long enough to drink your morning coffee.
In addition, the charging infrastructure is being continuously expanded so that supply will no longer be problematic. We currently have about 19,000 charging stations in Germany. The number and variety of vehicle models available on the market will also increase dramatically from 2021 onwards, so that (almost) all our needs can be met in this respect. The costs of the various models will be within a (similar) range to the costs we know today for internal combustion engines. There will also be a considerable advantage on the side of company car users, as the purchase of an electric vehicle is associated with tax advantages.
The future belongs to hydrogen
In this overall context, we are also following the developments on hydrogen with the greatest interest. We see e-mobility as a "bridge technology". If there are major leaps in the development of hydrogen technology that make the use of hydrogen vehicles appear feasible and financially reasonable, we are open to the prospect of taking this path. So far this has not (yet) been the case, not in any aspect - neither in terms of vehicle availability, charging infrastructure, energy consumption nor in terms of support measures.
No gas-powered vehicles
We have distanced ourselves from the category "gas-powered vehicles". There are two different forms of gas-powered vehicles: LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and CNG (natural gas). Our cooperation partner VW drives with CNG. There are only 900 filling stations for this form in Germany. Overall, there are not even half as many filling stations for gas-powered vehicles in Germany as there are for internal combustion engines.
There are also few models that are offered as new gas-powered vehicles. Due to the unpopularity of second-hand gas vehicles, the resale value is extremely low. This results in a higher leasing rate.
Are biofuels an option?
To a small extent, biofuels such as ethanol from wheat or diesel from rapeseed oil currently exist in Germany (5 to 7%). But how sensible it is to generate fuel from foodstuffs is debatable, and clearing rain forests to make biofuels from palm oil is an environmental catastrophe.
Transitional period with diesel
It will take some time until we have converted the entire fleet to E-vehicles. We will continue to drive our existing diesel vehicles until the end of the leasing period. Economical driving therefore important.
Basis Year GRI 2013
Basis Year Mobility Goals 2015
Previous Year 2018
Current Year 2019
absolute
to 2013
to 2015
absolute
to 2013
to 2015
to 2018
Number of company vehicles (yearly average) [pc]
65
75
67
3%
-11%
60
-8%
-20%
-10%
Total kilometers driven by company vehicles [km]
2,368,262
2,330,397
2,001,930
-15%
-14%
1,930,104
-19%
-17%
-4%
fuel consumption [liters]
170,955
173,061
139,398
-18%
-19%
129,698
-24%
-25%
-7%
Average consumption per vehicle per 100 km [kWh/100 km
Another major challenge is to offer employees who are entitled to a company car attractive alternative options to our larger models, so that they are willing to opt for smaller, more economical car models and use the train as much as possible for business travel.
An example: Some employees use their large company VW van (that is authorized for private use) not just once or twice a year for family holidays, but also for the daily commute to work. This is an expensive indulgence for the employees because they have to pay tax on the monetary value, and also for VAUDE because a large car is more expensive and causes more emissions, leading to costly climate compensation fees.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to switch to a smaller (electric) car? And wouldn’t making a van available for their holidays, plus a rail card, be a good way for VAUDE to compensate them? This is the kind of scheme we want to develop for attractive alternatives to the (large) company car. However, this is really a hard nut to crack. The preferential tax treatment of company cars via the company car lump sum ("1% regulation") and complicated regulations for the taxation of benefits in kind make virtually all alternatives financially much less attractive. No wonder that approx. 65 % of the annual new registrations of passenger cars are company cars...
All facts and figures given here refer to the VAUDE company headquarters at Tettnang-Obereisenbach. With no data, we are unable at present any concrete figures for fuel consumption for our upstream supply chain.
It is clear, however, that transport and the resulting strain it places on the health of people and the environment creates global problems (for example, smog in Beijing). We are all facing the same challenges in the transportation of goods and people. Read more about our merchandise logistics.
