Vaude has been actively committed to climate protection for many years. Since 2009, the company has been using 100 % green electricity at its headquarters in Tettnang, including from self-generated solar energy. Since 2012, the company headquarters and all products manufactured there have been climate-neutral. In 2019, the next big climate goal was set: worldwide climate neutrality according to the Science-Based Targets. Vaude has now reached the first milestone on this path: with a lot of effort and in close cooperation with suppliers, all emissions from the upstream global supply chain were recorded. Based on this sound data basis, Vaude has now decided: From 2022, all products will be climate neutral!
All greenhouse gas emissions that are currently still unavoidable will be offset via a GoldStandard carbon offset project by myclimate in Vietnam, where small farmers produce biogas from organic waste. Furthermore, the reduction of emissions is an important focus topic for Vaude. Therefore, the company has committed to far-reaching global reduction targets with the Science-BasedTargets in order to continuously reduce the corporate carbon footprint and make a measurable contribution to mitigating climate change while complying with the 1.5 degree target.
Biggest challenge is the global supply chain
The lion's share of Vaude's emissions is generated in the global supply chain. The reason: functional outdoor products consist mainly of synthetic fibres, the production of which causes high energy consumption. This is where the company has already started: By 2024, 90 % of all products are to be made predominantly from recycled or bio-based materials. Vaude is thus committed to the principle of the circular economy. By using renewable raw materials and recycling materials, fossil resources are conserved and CO2 emissions - depending on the material - are reduced by around 50 % compared to virgin materials. In the clothing collection for 2022, Vaude has already achieved this for half of all products.