Sustainable management makes companies fit for the future. It’s a pivotal approach to solving the problems created when we cross the boundaries of what our planet can take. It is therefore important that as many companies as possible engage in environmentally friendly and fair operations.
VAUDE has made environmentally friendly and fair business practices its core competency and has been working consistently for over a decade to transform the company holistically and systematically. We are also passing on this knowledge base and our experience.
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»The mission of the VAUDE Academy is to propagate sustainable business practices beyond VAUDE.«
2021 was an exciting year for the Academy. In the area of education, we were able to complete the Massive Open Online Course On the Path to Sustainability together with the University of Mannheim.
We received a large number of inquiries from schools and universities and participated as speakers in over ninety events. One focus of our educational work is the support of scientific student research. In a specially developed format, our digital Q&S session, Academy speakers answer students' questions. They can record the sessions and use them for their work. In 2021, we held six Q&S sessions with over ninety participants. In addition, we facilitated 21 individual interviews.
In addition to providing opportunities for visiting the VAUDE Campus for tours, we also offered digital tours for groups.
Another component of our educational work is ANAKO, a continuing education program for trainers to teach sustainability skills to their trainees, which we offered together with the German Sustainability Association.
In the area of adult education, we have developed two basic video courses on sustainable management in cooperation with LinkedIn Learning.
In the area of consulting and support for companies and organizations, in 2021 we primarily supported medium-sized industrial companies and sports retail companies in developing their sustainability strategy. Other specialist themes in demand included consulting on supplier management, climate strategy, and cultural transformation.
»Many thanks for the professional design and moderation of our sustainability workshop. The cornerstones for our sustainability strategy have been put into place and our journey towards greater sustainability is now picking up speed. Working with you was a great experience and we look forward to collaborating again in the future.«
We are designing the VAUDE Academy as a social business. By this we mean a business that has set itself the goal of solving social or ecological challenges using economic means. The focus is on social benefits rather than simply maximizing financial gain. Profits generated are reinvested into the business itself.
With regard to the VAUDE Academy, this means that we use the fees we receive for the work we do to support other businesses and share our expertise to finance and further expand our educational programs for schools, universities, voluntary and non-profit associations and initiatives.
The establishment of the VAUDE Academy is being supported by the German Federal Foundation for the Environment in a two-year funding project starting in late May 2020. Our goal is to ensure that the VAUDE Academy continues to operate on a cost-covering basis after the funding period has passed.
