Fast Track: Outdoor Wear Pioneer Vaude—committed To Environmental Sustainability

Fast Track: Outdoor Wear Pioneer Vaude—committed To Environmental Sustainability

Vaude, based in Tettnang, Germany, is a family-owned company which produces outdoor apparel and accessories for mountain sports and bike sports. The company was instrumental in establishing “outdoor” as a concept and a clothing category in the 1990s, and it has since played key roles in setting up the outdoor trade fair now known as Outdoor by ISPO and the European Outdoor Group (EOG), an industry association. Vaude was an early adopter of environmentally sustainable practices—having launched a product recycling initiative as long ago as 1994—and it continues to promote environmentally friendly production processes and implement sustainable materials in its product development. The company operates a certification scheme called the Green Shape programme which verifies the environmental sustainability of the products it makes. The scheme is based on extremely stringent evaluation criteria, and products can only be considered for certification if they are repairable, recyclable and made with more than 50% bio-based or recycled materials. In order to develop products made using bio-based materials, the company has formed a number of partnerships with players in the chemicals industry. It has worked with BASF in the development of outdoor pants made using a polyamide 6 called Ultramid Ccycled which is derived from bio-waste raw materials. Also, it has collaborated with UPM Biochemicals in the development of a fleece jacket made partially from a new bio-monoethylene glycol (bioMEG) called BioPura which is derived from non-fossil ingredients. Vaude’s efforts in environmental sustainability have proved to be well ahead of the curve, and the company is well positioned to respond to the introduction of forthcoming sustainability legislation in the EU. Beyond environmental sustainability, however, Vaude also engages in partnerships with not-for-profit organisations, including the Fair Wear Foundation, in order to advocate for high social standards, good working conditions and fair wages throughout the global apparel supply chain.