Upcycling leftover materials

VAUDE carefully selects all materials for its products. Unlike what is often the case in the textile industry, we work closely with our material suppliers, even if we do not purchase the materials ourselves, but our producers do.

Material suppliers also have to plan well what quantities of which materials and ingredients they produce. This is why timely planning of quantities is so important at VAUDE: based on our planning figures, the producers order the materials required for VAUDE production very early (even up to a year in advance), at least the raw materials - i.e. undyed and not yet further processed material.

Thanks to good planning, there is usually no material left over in production. Only if the VAUDE quantities are not sufficient to reach the minimum order quantity of material, the producer keeps the remaining quantity. As VAUDE pays for this material, we do everything we can to use it sensibly.

These are usually used to produce special models in smaller quantities, which are sold through regular channels. Leftover material that can no longer be used for production, for example because the quantity is too small for series production, is donated locally in the production countries.

If leftover materials that can no longer be used for production are generated in Germany or Europe, they are upcycled or sold as material boxes on eBay for the benefit of save the children. More about this here. Unfortunately, it is currently very difficult under customs law to import textile materials from Asia to Germany, which means that we are currently unable to upcycle these materials ourselves.

For us, quality begins with taking responsibility—from design through product service. Through consistent chemical management in accordance with strict standards and standardized testing procedures, we create high-quality products with a long service life.