VAUDE
German outdoor and mountain-sports brand distinguished by its broad equipment range and long-standing emphasis on environmental and social responsibility.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
VAUDE is a German outdoor-equipment company founded in 1974 by Albrecht von Dewitz. The name is derived from its founder's initials, and the business developed around equipment for mountain sports before expanding into a broader portfolio covering tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, outdoor clothing, cycling apparel and accessories, and related technical gear. Its headquarters are in Tettnang, Germany, where the company remains family owned. The wider group has also operated production facilities in Vietnam and has built a portfolio of specialist outdoor brands. The company is particularly associated with sustainability as a central business principle rather than as a limited product attribute. VAUDE has developed environmental and social management practices covering materials, manufacturing, product durability, supply-chain conditions, climate impact and corporate governance. It has participated in the Fair Wear Foundation since 2010, applies the bluesign production standard in relevant manufacturing processes, and operates an environmental-management system audited under the European Union's EMAS scheme. Its Tettnang headquarters has been described as climate neutral, and the company reported achieving complete climate neutrality at the beginning of 2022. VAUDE has also committed to a net-zero target for 2040 under the Science Based Targets initiative. VAUDE's sustainability profile has been reinforced through external programs and certifications. The company published its first corporate-responsibility report under Global Reporting Initiative guidelines in 2014. In 2019 it was among the first companies to receive Germany's Green Button certification, a government-backed mark addressing ecological and social standards in textile production. VAUDE has also published an additional balance sheet informed by the Economy for the Common Good framework and has supported the Development and Climate Alliance. Its environmental positioning extends to recommendations and retailing of water-based, solvent-free and fluorocarbon-free care products from Nikwax. The company has combined commercial activity with regional and social initiatives. It operates a company childcare facility, helped preserve a local public swimming pool from closure and was a founding company of Bleiberecht durch Arbeit, an association established in 2018 to support residence rights for refugees with permanent employment. VAUDE also established the VAUDE Academy for Sustainable Business, which provides consulting and educational support for organizations developing more sustainable business models. The group expanded beyond the core VAUDE label through acquisitions and brand integration. Edelrid, a specialist in climbing and mountain equipment, became part of the VAUDE Group in 2006. The Lucky climbing-supply and Markill camping-stove brands were subsequently integrated into Edelrid in 2008. In 2017 the group acquired Red Chili, known principally for climbing shoes and related climbing apparel; Red Chili is now part of Edelrid. VAUDE has also maintained a substantial presence in climbing, cycling and mountain sports through sponsored athletes, teams and events. Leadership passed from founder Albrecht von Dewitz to his daughter Antje von Dewitz in 2009. Under her management, the company has continued to present itself as a family-owned outdoor business whose product development and corporate strategy are closely linked to ecological responsibility, fairer supply chains, climate action and long-term product use. VAUDE has been the official outfitter of the German Alpine Club's climbing association since 2002 and has supported athletes and teams across climbing, cycling, mountain biking, freeride snowboarding and related disciplines.
History
VAUDE was established in 1974 by Albrecht von Dewitz as a German producer of mountain-sports equipment. Its name comes from the founder's initials. From its base in Tettnang, the company built a portfolio centered on equipment used for mountaineering, trekking and other outdoor activities, later extending into apparel, cycling and associated accessories. The company remains family owned and has retained its German headquarters while developing manufacturing capabilities and international operations, including production facilities in Vietnam. A major stage in the group's development was the addition of specialist climbing-equipment company Edelrid in 2006. Edelrid brought expertise in climbing products and became an important platform for related brands. Lucky, a climbing-supplies label, and Markill, a camping-stove brand with roots in a nineteenth-century German manufacturer, were integrated into the Edelrid brand in 2008. In 2017 the VAUDE Group acquired Red Chili, a company best known for climbing shoes and other climbing garments. Red Chili subsequently became part of Edelrid, broadening the group's specialist climbing portfolio. VAUDE has maintained a visible role in organized mountain sports. Since 2002 it has been the official outfitter of the climbing association of the German Alpine Club. The company has also supported athletes, teams and events in climbing, cycling, mountain biking, freeride snowboarding and outdoor media. Examples associated with its sponsorship activity include Team TREK|VAUDE, Team Centurion VAUDE, Team Colnago, climbers Angela Eiter and Kilian Fischhuber, freeride snowboarder Aline Bock and the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. In 2009, operational leadership passed from Albrecht von Dewitz to his daughter Antje von Dewitz. The succession preserved the family-owned character of the company while placing its subsequent development under a management increasingly identified with sustainability and responsible business. VAUDE joined the Fair Wear Foundation in 2010 and has used the organization's framework to address labor conditions in its textile supply chain. It also applies the bluesign production standard where relevant and maintains an environmental-management system audited under the EU's EMAS scheme. The company formalized its sustainability reporting in 2014 with its first corporate-responsibility report prepared according to Global Reporting Initiative guidelines. In 2015 it received high-profile recognition for environmental and social performance: it was nominated in the corporate-responsibility and environment category of the Financial Times Boldness in Business Awards and won the German Sustainability Award's category for Germany's Most Sustainable Brand. VAUDE has also used the Economy for the Common Good framework for an additional balance sheet, supported the Development and Climate Alliance and promoted fluorocarbon-free, water-based outdoor-care products through its recommendation and retail relationship with Nikwax. Its sustainability work extends beyond manufacturing. The Tettnang headquarters has been described as climate neutral, and the company reported complete climate neutrality at the beginning of 2022. VAUDE has committed to pursuing net-zero emissions by 2040 through the Science Based Targets initiative. In 2019 it was among the first companies to receive the German government's Green Button certification, which addresses ecological and social standards in textile production. The company has also operated a childcare facility, supported the continuation of a local public swimming pool and helped establish Bleiberecht durch Arbeit in 2018, an association advocating residence rights for refugees with permanent employment. VAUDE created the VAUDE Academy for Sustainable Business to advise companies seeking to improve sustainability or develop responsible business models. The academy's early development received support from the German Federal Environmental Foundation. Taken together, these initiatives show how VAUDE has positioned environmental management, worker welfare, climate action and community participation as part of its corporate identity rather than merely as marketing themes. Its present business combines the VAUDE outdoor label with group-level specialist brands and a continuing focus on technical products for mountain, trekking and cycling activities.
- 2022
Complete climate neutrality reported
[1]VAUDE reports achieving complete climate neutrality at the beginning of the year.
- 2019
Green Button certification
[1]VAUDE is among the first companies to receive Germany's Green Button sustainability certification.
- 2018
Support for refugee employees
[1]VAUDE becomes a founding company of Bleiberecht durch Arbeit, an association supporting residence rights for refugees with permanent employment.
- 2017
Red Chili acquisition
[1]The VAUDE Group takes over climbing-shoe and climbing-apparel producer Red Chili, which becomes part of Edelrid.
- 2014
First GRI-based responsibility report
[1]The company publishes its first corporate-responsibility report using Global Reporting Initiative guidelines.
- 2010
Fair Wear Foundation membership
[1]VAUDE joins the Fair Wear Foundation to support improvements in textile-worker conditions.
- 2009
Family leadership succession
[1]Antje von Dewitz takes over management from her father and founder, Albrecht von Dewitz.
- 2008
Lucky and Markill are integrated into Edelrid
[1]The group consolidates its Lucky climbing-supplies and Markill camping-stove brands under Edelrid.
- 2006
Edelrid joins the VAUDE Group
[1]Specialist climbing-equipment company Edelrid becomes part of the group.
- 2002
German Alpine Club outfitter relationship begins
[1]VAUDE becomes the official outfitter of the climbing association of the German Alpine Club.
Products and positioning
A mid-to-high-end German outdoor brand combining technical mountain and cycling equipment with a prominent sustainability, fair-supply-chain and climate-responsibility proposition.
Camping and trekking equipment
VAUDE Tents
VAUDE's tent range serves trekking, camping and mountain-sports use. The products are designed around portable shelter, weather protection and practical livability in outdoor settings. The Taurus line is one of the better-known examples associated with the brand. As with the wider portfolio, the category is presented within VAUDE's broader focus on durable equipment and reduced environmental impact.
Packs and luggage
VAUDE Backpacks
VAUDE produces backpacks for hiking, trekking, travel and everyday outdoor use. The range includes technical carrying systems and specialized designs intended to organize and protect equipment during extended activity. The Farley range is a recognized VAUDE offering. Backpack development forms one of the company's core product areas alongside tents, sleeping bags and clothing.
Camping and sleeping equipment
VAUDE Sleeping Bags
VAUDE sleeping bags are intended for camping, trekking and other overnight outdoor activities. The category complements the company's shelter and pack systems and reflects its origins in mountain and outdoor equipment. Specific insulation constructions, temperature ratings and seasonal models vary across the range, but the overall role is to provide portable thermal protection for outdoor travel.
Outdoor apparel
VAUDE Outdoor Clothing
The apparel portfolio covers clothing for hiking, trekking, mountain sports and general outdoor use. Products are developed around weather protection, layering, mobility and durability. Clothing is also central to VAUDE's sustainability proposition because the company applies supply-chain, materials and manufacturing standards to textile products and has participated in Fair Wear Foundation and Green Button initiatives.
Cycling products
VAUDE Cycling Apparel and Equipment
VAUDE's cycling activities include apparel, equipment and accessories for recreational and performance-oriented riders. The brand has supported cycling teams and athletes, including Team Colnago and Team Centurion VAUDE, and has extended its technical outdoor expertise into cycling-specific products. This category contributes to the company's visibility beyond traditional trekking and mountaineering.
Climbing equipment
Edelrid
Edelrid is a specialist climbing and mountain-equipment brand within the VAUDE Group. It became part of the group in 2006 and subsequently absorbed the Lucky and Markill brand activities. Red Chili, acquired in 2017 for climbing shoes and related garments, is also now part of Edelrid. Edelrid gives the group a distinct technical-climbing platform alongside the consumer-facing VAUDE label.
Climbing footwear and apparel
Red Chili
Red Chili specializes mainly in climbing shoes and other climbing garments. After its 2017 acquisition by the VAUDE Group, the brand became part of Edelrid. It represents the group's dedicated climbing-footwear and climbing-apparel capability rather than a general outdoor assortment.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Team TREK|VAUDE mountain-bike sponsorship
International
VAUDE supported Team TREK|VAUDE as a mountain-bike team, extending its sponsorship activity into competitive cycling and mountain biking.
Outcome. Ongoing sponsorship was recorded from 2021.
- 2021Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour support
International
VAUDE was associated with the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, linking the brand to outdoor culture, adventure storytelling and mountain-sports audiences.
Outcome. Brand and event association recorded for 2021.
- 2002German Alpine Club climbing outfitter partnership
Germany
VAUDE became the official outfitter of the German Alpine Club's climbing association, strengthening its credibility among organized climbing and mountain-sports communities.
Outcome. The outfitter relationship has continued since 2002.
Brand decisions
2022
Report complete climate neutralityStrategyBackground
VAUDE expanded its climate program through environmental management, climate initiatives and longer-term science-based targets.
Action taken
The company reported achieving complete climate neutrality at the beginning of 2022 and maintained a stated ambition to reach net zero by 2040.
Aftermath
Climate neutrality became a prominent part of the brand's corporate-responsibility narrative.
2019
Adopt Green Button certificationStrategyBackground
VAUDE pursued formal recognition of ecological and social standards in its textile products.
Action taken
The company became one of the first recipients of Germany's Green Button certification.
Aftermath
The certification reinforced VAUDE's positioning around responsible textile production and transparent sustainability standards.
2017
Acquire Red ChiliM&ABackground
The VAUDE Group sought to strengthen its position in specialist climbing products.
Action taken
The group took over Red Chili, a producer focused on climbing shoes and related climbing garments.
Aftermath
Red Chili became part of Edelrid within the group.
2009
Transfer management to the next family generationStrategyBackground
After more than three decades under founder Albrecht von Dewitz, the family-owned company prepared for a leadership transition.
Action taken
Management was handed to his daughter, Antje von Dewitz.
Aftermath
The company continued under family ownership with an increasingly prominent emphasis on sustainability and responsible business.
2006
Acquire EdelridM&ABackground
The group expanded its specialist mountain-sports portfolio by bringing climbing-equipment company Edelrid into the VAUDE Group.
Action taken
Edelrid became a group company and later served as the platform for related climbing brands.
Aftermath
The group subsequently integrated Lucky and Markill into Edelrid and later placed Red Chili within the Edelrid structure.
Recent events
- 2022
VAUDE reports complete climate neutrality[1]
Other
The company reported that it had achieved complete climate neutrality at the beginning of 2022 while continuing to pursue longer-term net-zero objectives.
- 2019
VAUDE receives Green Button certification[1]
Regulation
VAUDE was among the first group of companies to receive Germany's Green Button certification for ecological and social standards in textile products.
- 2015
VAUDE receives recognition for sustainability performance[1]
Other
VAUDE was nominated for the Financial Times Boldness in Business Award in the corporate-responsibility and environment category and won the German Sustainability Award's Germany's Most Sustainable Brand category.
- 2014
VAUDE publishes its first GRI-based corporate-responsibility report[1]
Other
VAUDE issued its first corporate-responsibility report using Global Reporting Initiative guidelines.
- 2010
VAUDE joins the Fair Wear Foundation[1]
Other
The company became a member of the Fair Wear Foundation as part of its efforts to improve labor conditions in textile supply chains.
- 2009
VAUDE leadership passes to Antje von Dewitz[1]
Leadership change
Founder Albrecht von Dewitz handed management of the family-owned company to his daughter Antje von Dewitz.
Sources2 sources
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