What role does VAUDE Professional play in the manufacturing of sustainable solutions for companies?

VAUDE Professional is an expert in sustainable custom textile manufacturing, employee equipment, and corporate wear.

VAUDE Professional offers sustainable, high-quality, and innovative textile products. Our product portfolio is diverse and inspired by VAUDE's sustainable corporate philosophy. The services we provide include all steps from ideation to the production of the final product. We place great importance on personal exchange, expert advice, tailored solutions, reliable delivery, and environmentally friendly and fair manufacturing.

Our customers come from various industries, including companies of all sizes, from corporations to small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as government agencies, associations, and other public institutions. As a result, our product range is wide-ranging and includes custom-made products, clothing items, bags and backpacks of all kinds, tents, sleeping bags, and accessories. We are always open to new product ideas and also offer customization of collection items to meet the individual needs of our customers.

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Our objective is to support the industry with our products and expertise in the field of sustainability and contribute to making their business models more sustainable. We firmly believe that through our products and services, we can make a significant contribution to achieving sustainability goals. We place great emphasis on ensuring that our products and services are not only sustainable but also meet the highest quality standards.

In addition to our traditional seasonal business with outdoor and bike products, the VAUDE Professional division forms another pillar of our company. This business segment is independent of seasons and serves customers and markets outside the outdoor industry. By doing so, we can reduce our dependence on the outdoor market and diversify our risks.

In 2016, we made the decision to explore an additional business field targeting "professional customers" from industries, authorities, and associations. This approach aims to reduce our reliance on the retail sector and create optimizations on the production side through counter-cyclical production. Based on promising experiences in the German-speaking region, we are currently focusing on this market and only sporadically expanding our business to other EU countries.

In 2022, the VAUDE Professional division accounts for approximately 3% of our total revenue. A portion of this revenue is generated through continuous orders from existing customers. Our goal is to increase awareness of this division and establish VAUDE Professional as a relevant player in the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) market for industrial and government equipment by 2025.

Together with the BASF Group, we have implemented an impressive upcycling project that is both environmentally friendly and sustainable. In this project, old, no longer used workwear garments were transformed into new employee backpacks, rather than disposing of the material as special waste. In total, about 500 upcycled products such as backpacks and bags were created from nearly 1,000 work jackets and pants. This initiative not only contributes to waste reduction but also sends a positive message for sustainability and environmental protection by saving new resources.

The collaboration with BASF and the implementation of this upcycling project are important steps towards a circular economy and a more sustainable approach to resources. The idea for this project originated from an internal idea competition at BASF and demonstrates the enormous potential for long-term resource conservation, which can also be applied to other industries. We are convinced that such projects play a crucial role in establishing a sustainable and circular economy.

In a world increasingly focused on sustainability and environmental protection, goods transportation poses a growing challenge. That's why our VAUDE Professional team produces a reusable multi-use transport cover made from recycled materials for our customer RolliCoat GmbH. This cover enables environmentally friendly and resource-efficient transportation of goods on roll containers. This innovative concept not only optimizes the process of securing the goods but also helps reduce the consumption of single-use plastic film packaging.

Compared to conventional single-use film systems, the multi-use system offers numerous advantages. It saves time as it can be applied approximately 20 seconds faster. It also saves money as it pays for itself after around 100 uses and enables significant cost savings thereafter. Furthermore, the multi-use system is highly environmentally friendly as it can be reused and washed extensively, saving approximately 10 meters of plastic film per use.

As an experienced manufacturer of environmentally friendly textile customizations, we are the perfect partner for this project. The durable material is produced fairly and from 100% recycled and bluesign® certified materials. Additionally, it is a climate-neutral product. We take pride in offering our customers sustainable solutions that help reduce the consumption of single-use plastics and promote the protection of our environment.

Our VAUDE Professional team has developed and produced cloth diapers in collaboration with the baby products company Soulely. Soulely's goal was to create a modern and circular economy cloth diaper that meets the highest social standards and is made of high-quality materials. We were impressed by their approach of giving products a long product life, prioritizing care and maintenance, repairing them if necessary, and passing them on to the next generation instead of discarding them. These principles are also deeply ingrained in our daily work and connect Soulely's products with us. We believe that conscious consumption and an end to the throwaway mentality are essential steps to protect the limited resources of our planet. 

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