Ambitious Goals

Once again in 2020, VAUDE made significant progress with regard to sustainability and we have taken some important steps forward.

Corporate goals that are directly related to sustainability are published in our report. We do not publish our economic goals for competitive reasons.

Our convictions haven't changed: We are continuing to work toward increasing our sustainability holistically, taking on responsibility and reducing our environmental footprint. In those areas where we are not completely satisfied, we are always setting new goals in order to achieve our corporate vision. Our vision is:

“Improving the quality of life with sustainable outdoor products and future oriented business strategies.”

Meeting this high standard that we have set for ourselves presents us with new challenges time and again. We are facing up to these challenges and tackling them head on. More at – Our Challenges

We also listen to and consider the comprehensive feedback that our stakeholders give us. We are proactive in analyzing our strategies with regard to their concerns and examine how we can improve both our CSR services and our communication. Read more at – "Involving Stakeholders".

We continually and consistently measure our sustainability performance. Our goals are defined with specific target figures and timeframes. Regular analysis of how well we are reaching our goals ensures that the process continues to develop and improve. 

More about this here

As we are analyzing our goals, we use the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) method. This means that we carefully identify specific measures for achieving our goals. (»SMART«) After one or more measures for achieving the goal have been implemented ("do"), the procedure and the target values ("check") are always reviewed. Action includes reviewing the results, which are then included in future objectives, target figures and measures (“act”). This ensures the achievement of a systematic, continuous, improvement process.

Read more about VAUDE energy management here

1.We strengthen the VAUDE brand and the development of sustainable, innovative products.

We are securing our sustainable, pioneering position by investing in innovation, setting ambitious goals for transitioning to recycled and biobased materials, and our active commitment to sustainability on a political level, such as supporting the governmental seal for sustainable textiles "Grüner Knopf".

2.Our financing is sustainable; we operate efficiently and achieve sustainable growth by balancing economic, environmental and social goals as well as by maintaining a healthy balance of multiple revenue streams.

As a mountain sports brand, we are also focusing on exploiting the potential of our urban, bike and footwear products over multiple distribution channels as well as our industrial customer business. We are investing in our Made in Germany production and in the expansion of European markets.

3.We work in partnership with our specialized retailers.

We support omnichannel retailing, the optimization of floor-space management and the development of useful services to support the sales process (including a holistic training concept).

4.We are an attractive and responsible employer.

We are continuously developing our culture of trust and the ongoing development of our occupational health management program. We promote diversity and implement strategies for professional and personal development as well as remuneration.

5.We are increasing our earning power through greater efficiency in order to be economically fit for the future and to support our existing workforce.

Personnel savings flow primarily into salary development and continuing education opportunities for our employees. We have addressed this proactively by introducing an ERP system and pushing efficiency.

6.We are strategically focused on our supply chain.

In order to master the challenges regarding sustainability and the future viability of our supply chain, we have embedded the issue on an organizational level and work intensively on the transparency and ongoing development of our supply chain with regard to environment and social responsibility as well as quality.

7.We are strategically focused on internationalization.

We are continuing to develop organizational structures for the needs of our international key markets and focus on Europe. 8.We design IT that is fit for the future. We are introducing digitalized, future-proof business management software that displays standardized and efficient processes. In doing so, we are relying on cloud-based solutions. The successful implementation of our largest project to date, "Expedition 2020," has top priority and full support, being closely accompanied by management, the HR team and the staff positions.

9.We are strategically focused on digital transformation.

Digitization affects us all in all areas. Our interdisciplinary team is well connected and analyzes trends with expert knowledge in order to set up a future-oriented digitalization strategy for VAUDE. To expand our business model, we are developing a strategy around digital services with a focus on sustainability and expanding our end customer base.

10. We strengthen our partnerships both internally and externally through active dialog so that we can recognize consumer needs.We rely on communication with external and internal stakeholders in order to find good solutions for complex and dynamic requirements while always keeping our focus on the consumer’s perspective.

We are in dialog with retailers, experts, NGOs and consumers and strive for an individualized customer approach (B2C and B2B). We strengthen our consumer service competence, e.g., through Design Thinking Processes and direct communication with our store customers.