Alex Ingildsen, CCO at LTP, visited VAUDE at the Ethical fashion show in Kraftwerk Berlin at the FASHION week in Berlin to talk with the team behind VAUDE's new Green Shape Core Collection.

Here, he met three polite and passionate employees who proudly told about their new project, while German TV for the third time that day interviewed another employee on the stand.

Alex asked Greta Stehling, Strategic Product development at VAUDE to tell about the Green Shape Core Collection,

"Green Shape Core Collection is an authentically sustainable selection of gear for a wide variety of outdoor activities. VAUDE has developed innovative materials that are high performing and environmentally friendly, while at the same time offer solutions for global environmental challenges such as microplastic pollution. With them, VAUDE is presenting the most sustainable products in the industry, underscoring its pioneering position and demonstrating what the future holds for sustainably innovative outdoor gear,” Greta Stehling says.

Aaron Bittner, Head of Apparel at VAUDE, explains,

"The Green Shape Core Collection consists of 19 sustainable multiuse products — apparel, shoes, backpacks — designed for a wide range of outdoor activities. With a natural look and feel, they unite performance with a feel-good factor and long service life. The pieces are conceptualized as a layering system, perfectly coordinated in design and performance to function together, from the base layer to waterproof 3-layer jacket. About 90 % of the diverse textile materials used in the production process are bio-based, recycled or purely natural materials. Unconventional, renewable raw materials such as unmarketable cow's milk, wood, and castor oil are also used".

When did you start the project?

Lara Delle, Innovation Manager material at VAUDE, says

“We wanted to do the most sustainable outdoor outfit on the market, and since mid of 2015, a small multidisciplinary team from both VAUDE, LTP and some fabrics suppliers have been working hard on the concept of this collection the last 2,5 years.

The entire collection is ‘eco-fair.’ This means that we are conserving valuable raw resources by using recycled materials and replacing fossil-based raw materials with bio-based alternatives, e.g., from kapok, castor-oil or cow's milk. For the first time, we are using biodegradable fiber for fleece products and are exploiting the natural functional properties of materials to minimize the use of chemicals.”

VAUDE pursues environmentally friendly processes along the entire supply chain – from the production of materials to the finishing of innovative products – and ensures fair working conditions in its production facilities.

All apparel styles produced by LTP

“All apparel styles for this collection were developed and produced at LTP in Lithuania – the only bluesign® garment manufacturer in Europe with a very strong environmental friendly policy. The dialogue with the team in Lithuania has been very uncomplicated even though a lot of proto samples had to be developed before the collection was ready for launch. We have simply trusted in LTP´s capabilities, thanks to a strong, dedicated team - KAM Jurga Arstikyte, technicians Ausra Surgeliene and Edita Liutkuviene, constructor Romeina Gajauskiene,” Lara Delie concludes.

Further input about VAUDE's Green Shape Core Collection >>CLICK HERE<<

About VAUDE

VAUDE is regarded as a pioneer in the field of sustainability and continues to set new standards for the outdoor industry. This is impressively demonstrated in every product of the Green Shape Core Collection, reflecting solid expertise and innovation in terms of sustainability. The collection expresses a progressive and visionary future of sustainable innovative outdoor gear. With it VAUDE would like to make an impact, provide inspiration for thinking outside the box and lead a call to action. The mountain sports supplier is pushing the limits of what is technically and economically feasible while applying consistent, resource-conserving processing methods under fair production conditions — something that is truly unique in this form.

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