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2023 Sustainability Report
published 2024/08/01

Raising awareness with sustainable communication

Sustainability is a complex issue. The better we understand the interrelationships, the more aware we become. To clearly illustrate these issues, we engage in communication about them in a format that's tailored to the channel and target audience.

Raising awareness for the environment and climate-change

Thinking ahead. Managing with consideration. And engaging in action from heart. That's how we move forward. In outdoor sports. In everyday life. And in the development of sustainable products. Because only if we preserve what we love can future generations also enjoy the great outdoors and a healthy planet.


This means that VAUDE manufactures high-performance gear produced under exemplary and fair ecological criteria – the highest possible performance coupled with ecological and socially responsible production.


Without an awareness of fair and environmentally friendly production, there would be no demand for sustainable products. As a manufacturer, we serve as a role model for responsible outdoor experiences that our customers can also sense through our communications.



Climate change is progressing relentlessly

We are convinced that with a common will to take action and make changes, we can stop global warming. We need to boldly take responsibility for our planet.

Less talk, more action!



Brand creates clarity and orientation

In our endeavor to shape a more sustainable future while remaining authentic, we at VAUDE have developed a profound brand narrative that not only reflects our vision and mission but also serves as a guiding principle for all our actions.


Rooted in the firm belief that sustainability is not just an add-on but the foundation of our brand, our narrative is embedded in VAUDE's history, which speaks of our pursuit of innovation and respect for nature and humanity. We carefully crafted this narrative based on extensive research, conversations with internal and external stakeholders, and an analysis of the unique VAUDE experience we aim to offer our customers.

This story enables us to create and maintain a consistent brand perception. It serves as the cornerstone of our corporate identity, ensuring that VAUDE remains unmistakable across all channels. Our brand narrative also represents a promise to our customers and partners that every interaction with VAUDE is guided by our deepest values and our vision of a better world.


Warm and friendly colors support our brand image

The VAUDE CI consists of various elements:

  • Brand Narrative: Determines how and which stories we tell
  • Corporate Design: determines the visual appearance
  • Corporate Wording: determines the contents and the manner of communication
  • Imagery: determines the substantive and formal requirements for our (moving) images
  • Behavior guidelines for specific issues: defines the desired behavior of VAUDE employees - see "Company Philosophy". 


We set these standards not only in terms of content, but also in choosing of means of communication. For environmental considerations, we try to replace print products with digital media as much as possible. This has helped us to reduce our paper consumption. In addition, we compensate for all emissions stemming from paper consumption. When using digital media or website development, we work to avoid unnecessary energy-intensive measures.



Internal communication

In the VAUDE Guiding Principles, specific guidelines are set regarding how to put into practice, visualize and communicate about sustainability in the corporate context. To help our employees be involved with our corporate identity, content is updated regularly and passed on to everyone in the company in our "VAUDE Wegweiser”.



Inclusive language

Our communication should be respectful, appreciative and equal to all genders. That is why we communicate with fair and inclusive language. We know that language influences the way we think: by addressing and naming people of all genders, stereotypical role models are eliminated. Inclusive language implicitly shows that both women, men and non-binary people are qualified for and capable of different activities.



A strong focus on experiencing nature mindfully

Sustainability is a guiding theme in our choice of advertising.


Our images focus on experiencing nature mindfully


As a sustainable, innovative mountain sports brand, we try to keep our ecological footprint as small as possible for our activities. We act considerately towards people and nature. We also follow the "by fair means" principle in mountaineering and biking: tours should be managed as much as possible with one's own power and without the use of artificial or technical aids such as lifts. We make our advertising film and photo shootings as environmentally friendly as possible and convey this approach in our images. For example, our bikers don’t ride off-trail through pristine nature, but stay on existing trails; ski tourers don’t rely on ski lifts, etc. 



Mountain sports by fair means
 
 

Employees as brand ambassadors

In order for the content of our marketing to come across authentically, it makes sense that our employees also identify with this philosophy.


VAUDE Marketing employees


To promote this, we offer them ongoing mountain sports and bike sports activities. These trips are organized sustainably, for example, by using eco-friendly transportation. The shared outdoor experiences raise awareness in our employees for the preservation of nature as a "playground" for future generations.



Message in training courses

VAUDE offers sustainability training courses for all employees. In addition, our sales representatives and international distributors receive training every six months about new information on product sustainability, environmental protection and social responsibility.


VAUDE provides training materials for all relevant product segments that communicate sustainability aspects of each product group. Much of this information is also publicly available to retailers and consumers on our service.vaude.com platform.

Individual courses cover the following themes:


Making sustainability something to be experienced

We also communicate just how committed we are to sustainability in product presentations at trade shows around the world, in VAUDE order rooms and in VAUDE stores and outlets.


VAUDE Stores


Sustainability isn't only put into practice with the VAUDE Collection, but also in the design of exhibition stands at trade shows and store design concepts. For our exhibition spaces and store designs, we use environmentally friendly raw materials and environmentally friendly production elements such as banners and displays.



The VAUDE Green Shape Campus

VAUDE Green Shape Campus - Certificate

To provide our international dealers with factually well-founded information on sustainability themes, we regularly invite them to participate in our Green Shape Campus at the company headquarters in Obereisenbach. 

 
The goal is to provide a comprehensive body of knowledge on sustainability. This training is intended to help dealers be able to inform and advise their customers competently, to respond to difficult questions and to pass on the issues to colleagues in the trade.



 
 
GRI:   3-3
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