Berlin, October 25, 2022 - The government-run textile certification label Green Button is tightening its requirements. Since August, companies have been able to be audited according to the Green Button 2.0 standard. Among other things, they must then also introduce measures to promote living wages and set sustainability targets for management. Labeled products may now only consist of approved fibers. VAUDE is the first company to pass the audit.

Outdoor equipment supplier VAUDE was already one of the first licensees when the certification label was launched three years ago. At the end of September, the first audit for the Green Button 2.0 follow-up standard took place at the company headquarters in Tettnang, Southern Germany. Hilke Patzwall is Sustainability Manager at VAUDE, and for her it was clear that VAUDE would also meet the increased requirements: ’The Green Button is an important certification for VAUDE that confirms our high level of implementation of environmental and social standards in the supply chain. It offers our customers additional assurance that the VAUDE brand and VAUDE products credibly meet these requirements. We continue to expect a benefit of credibility from this, especially for the fulfillment of corporate due diligence obligations.’

The company was audited by the independent certification body Control Union during the two-day audit.  The extended requirements include:

• The company must take the first steps toward living wages,
• successively extend its risk analysis to the entire supply chain,
• involve people in production countries more closely in process decisions
• anchor the topic of due diligence more broadly in the company.
• In order to meet the requirements for the production processes, in addition to the cutting and sewing as well as bleaching and dyeing manufacturing steps, evidence must now also be provided in the area of raw material procurement and the use of fibers and materials.

VAUDE is already advanced on these points. The new certificate, including the product groups awarded, can be viewed under basic information.

The new requirements apply to all companies that want to be licensed for the first time. By July 31, 2023*, all licensed companies must also complete a recertification audit according to the Green Button 2.0. After that, audits will be conducted exclusively according to the Green Button 2.0. The same one-year period applies to the mandatory label-related requirements.

The Green Button makes an important contribution to promoting more sustainable production conditions along textile supply chains. The certification label is issued by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which thus continues to promote the protection of people and the environment in global supply chains.

*This deadline was subsequently changed after the scheme owner decided to extend the deadline in January 2023.

Contact
Secretariat Green Button
Potsdamer Platz 10
10785 Berlin, Germany
T +49 30 / 338 424 - 111
info@gruener-knopf.de
www.gruener-knopf.de/en