‘Sustainability is part of my corporate responsibility’

Sustainability is a key feature of the VAUDE philosophy. Why is that?

Climate change is already having a dramatic impact all around the world. Today, some regions are already barely habitable and the situation is only going to get worse. The textile industry shares much of the responsibility for many environmental problems. As part of that industry, we want to create solutions and help tackle these global environmental challenges. That’s what drives me personally – but I think it’s also just sound common sense. As a mother of four children, I want to do everything I can to improve sustainability and create a future worth living. As an entrepreneur, there are many different areas where I can take action. So sustainability is part of who I am and part of my corporate responsibility. 

You’ve also signed up to the Green Button scheme and the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles initiative. How did that come about?

When I took over the company in 2009, we decided to gear VAUDE towards sustainability from the ground up – everything from environmentally friendly materials and production processes to fair working conditions, product use and the recycling of used outdoor equipment. Since 2010, we’ve systematically implemented this principle in the form of our in-house Green Shape standard, based on the most stringent certifications in the textile industry. But this involves considerable resources and high costs, which puts us at a competitive disadvantage compared with companies that don’t embrace sustainability. Any initiative that eases the burden on sustainable enterprises and raises awareness of this important issue in other companies and the general public is therefore useful and helpful – not least on the part of the government. The way in which the Green Button achieves this objective is admirable, although there is certainly scope to reduce the detail of the regulatory burden still further. Sustainability is a team sport, only by working together is it possible to achieve something. That’s why we were keen to join the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles as a founding member and contribute our expertise to developing and implementing the Green Button label.

What challenges do you face in implementing sustainable supply chains?

As a sustainable company, complying with due diligence obligations across the entire supply chain is a continuous, demanding and labour-intensive process. Besides fostering close contact with our partners, we need to be constantly on top of new developments and keep a close eye on all our Asian production sites. This is the only way we can really have a say in shaping the global supply chain for the better. Our information is also verified by accredited certification bodies. These bodies also carry out on-site audits to check compliance with the criteria, and for this we have set up a sophisticated, digitalised management system. But fulfilling all requirements down to the last detail is an enormous burden.

What would have to change for sustainable fashion to become the norm?

We’re still a long way from achieving that. Sure, Germany is leading by example with the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, the Green Button scheme and other initiatives. But if we want to bring about large-scale change, we need uniform standards – in as many countries as possible. That’s why I’m an advocate of the Supply Chain Act. I also see potential in public invitations to tender. Imagine if new rainwear for foresters in Germany’s state-owned forests were put out to tender, you could make the Green Button a baseline requirement – and many more companies would then have to sign up to it. Sustainability can also be achieved through economic incentives. On top of that, we need a comprehensive programme of awareness-raising to give consumers everywhere an understanding of the benefits sustainable textiles bring.