We get involved and take a position

We at VAUDE not only want to engage in business that is as sustainably as possible; we also want to show that it is possible to take responsibility and be economically successful. By doing so, we want to contribute to the development of our economy in a direction of public service and strong values. We willingly draw public attention to these issues, support sustainable solutions in industry associations and take a stand in politics.

Taking a critical look at ourselves, we are dealing with the question of what impact our aspirations for a sustainable business practices have on our company growth. You can find our answer here

In our work, we often encounter factors along the way that hinder us from becoming 100 percent sustainable. By the same token, we also often experience things that help us. Based on this experience, we form our ideas about what political or social conditions need to be created so that sustainability can be more strongly established.

The company management and CSR Team sit down together to discuss obstacles and opportunities as well as external topics and develop our stance on these topics. We also consider where and how we are both able and driven to bring the issues to the public in order to achieve change. We firmly believe that only by working together can we achieve truly sustainable solutions, which is why it is important for us to be influencers where it counts the most.

2019 was an exciting year in terms of socio-political developments. We were very pleased to see that the Fridays for Future movement for climate protection reached a broad section of society and is also gaining importance for political agendas. We would really like to see the German government take an active pioneering role in overcoming the climate crisis.

You can find our positions on the climate crisis and other socio-political issues that have moved us in 2019 here.

The management and the CSR team work together to discuss and address obstacles and opportunities as well as issues brought to our attention by third parties. We consider which avenues to use and how we can/must make the issues public if we want to achieve change. We do this because we firmly believe that we can only achieve truly sustainable solutions by working together and that it is important to be an influencer when and where appropriate.

We are active on many levels making a political commitment to sustainability. This includes contact with politicians as well as active participation in industry associations and initiatives.

At the end of 2017, we founded the Bleiberecht Entrepreneurial Initiative (Right of Residence through Work) together with the Härle Brewery. This is because our refugee-employees were also being threatened by the loss of their work permits and even deportation – read more about Committed to Refugees.

In the run-up to this initiative, we had written an open letter to Angela Merkel

in September 2017, describing the problem from an employer's perspective.

Together with other affected companies, we have developed practical proposals for solutions in the entrepreneur initiative and are discussing these with politicians. Over 150 companies and three associations have joined the initiative.

Despite the Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz (Immigration of Skilled Workers Act) and the Beschäftigungsduldungsgesetz (Employment Toleration Act), however, there is still a lack of concrete regulations that offer refugees who have a permanent job and their employers a legally secure perspective.

Here you can find out more about the work and the demands of the entrepreneur initiative.

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