VAUDE CSR-Report – Future-oriented Working Environment

Working in harmony with nature

With our goal of creating progressive, healthy workspaces for our 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? The team of our VAUDE Academy for sustainable business is looking forward to hearing from you.

Sustainable buildings with DGNB certification

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 maximum energy-efficient building.

Sustainable Buildings DGNB Certificate in Silver

More on VAUDE's Silver certification and DGNB evaluation system

Construction during ongoing operations

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.

Future-oriented working environments

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.

»We wanted to create an optimal working environment that responds to the individual professional and personal needs. The new premises foster communication, creativity and teamwork.«

Antje von Dewitz on the objective of the remodeling work

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.

»It was a huge challenge to manage a remodeling project of these dimensions - without interrupting the workflow.«

VAUDE CFO Erwin Gutensohn (responsible for the construction management)

Green Campus completely ecological

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 is a 10-meter-high climbing wall, which offers the many climbing enthusiasts among VAUDE employees a sporting challenge.

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

»It was important to us to make the building sustainable. With ecological materials and energy-efficient solutions.«

Antje von Dewitz, VAUDE CEO

100% organic, 100% flavor – our organic canteen

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. In the certified organic canteen, not only employees, but also external visitors and the children of the company's own childcare center can now enjoy fresh organic food every day. The ingredients are primarily locally sourced from organic farms.

The natural, hand-crafted wooden furniture creates a cozy atmosphere. “This is a lively central space for our company, where you can meet colleagues from other departments with whom you might not otherwise have any contact. With the company size that we have now reached, this is very important for good collaboration,” says Antje von Dewitz.

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 processed for the wooden terrace. This dam contains huge amounts of high-quality wood, which in the coming years, unused and rotting, would release climate-damaging methane gas.

2016 – Construction of the VAUDE Manufaktur production facility

On April 27, 2015, a bolt of lightning struck the roof trusses of the production building. The building was immediately set on fire, 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 used to extinguish the fire.
The entire production had to be temporarily moved to a rented facility nearby and all product models produced there at the same high standards.

VAUDE has a clear commitment to the production site of Obereisenbach near Tettnang. The Manufaktur moved into a new building on the company premises at the end of 2016. The new production facility, like the remodeled office buildings of 2015, was built in accordance with strict environmental standards. The optimized production capacity will allow us to expand our "Made in Germany" range.

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.

More about our Manufaktur and Made in Germany Production site.

»The new premises embody our VAUDE values very well. An open, inspirational working environment was created in which innovative and creative thinking can unfold – and all of it in harmony with nature. That is the best environment for fresh ideas in order to develop products for the outdoors.«

Antje von Dewitz

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

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

... during the conversion phase ...

... and after the final inspection.

Facts and figures

The following is a summary of the most important company reconstruction information:

Project: Revitalization of the headquarters of VAUDE Sport GmbH & Co. KG in Tettnang

Construction Period June 2013 to April 2014 (1st construction phase), completion mid-2015

Net building space: 9,300 square meters

Heating / Cooling:

Combined heating and cooling units on the ceiling
Windows for natural ventilation

Acoustical Solutions: High-performance sound absorbers on ceilings and walls

Office types:

Before: open-plan offices, thoroughly mixed, departments distributed throughout the building, inefficient structures that evolved from company growth
Afterwards: multi-space offices with open yet differentiated working structures based on job profiles, short distances for communication and cooperative relationships

Ergonomic beginnings:

Automatic height-adjustable tables
Adjustable monitor supports on all levels, organizational elements on the third working floor for direct access, screens for privacy
Specialized storage space for product development
Meeting rooms with variable seating positions and seat heights

Lighting concepts: