Strengthen data-driven decision-making to prioritize sustainability initiatives, support continuous improvement, and transparently communicate progress in our Sustainability Report.
Responsibility requires transparency. We voluntarily collect our sustainability metrics in reference to EU standards and have the metrics (Key Performance Indicator – KPIs) externally audited – because we want to understand the impact of our actions and actively shape it.
At the same time, this transparency is only possible through the joint effort of many teams across Vorwerk’s divisions and entities. We are proud of the broad collaboration behind this process and of the many colleagues who contribute their expertise and commitment.
The double materiality assessment (DMA) forms the basis of our sustainability report. It helps identify the sustainability matters that are most significant by considering both the impacts of our business activities on people and the environment and the financial risks and opportunities related to these matters. Based on this assessment, we identified E1 Climate Change, E5 Resource Use and Circular Economy, S1 Own Workforce, S2 Workers in the Value Chain, S4 Consumers and End-users, and G1 Business Conduct as significant topics.
Together, these topics reflect the three dimensions of ESG – Environmental, Social and Governance and provide the structure for our sustainability reporting. The sustainability matters identified through our DMA are reflected in part in the Vorwerk Home 3C framework. At the same time, the assessment highlights additional priorities that go beyond the framework and help create a comprehensive view of the sustainability matters relevant to the whole Vorwerk Group. If you are interested in the details of our DMA, you can read it in the introduction chapter of our CSRD report.
Climate change covers climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation and energy use. This topic is relevant across our operations and value chain and informs how we manage environmental impact over time. It is also reflected in parts of our 3C framework, climate, which helps translate climate-related priorities into action.
This topic addresses how resources and materials are used, managed and kept in circulation as long as possible. It is closely linked to product longevity, repairability and a more circular approach to materials and design. It helps us understand how resource use can be managed more consciously across the product lifecycle – one pillar of the 3C framework, circularity.
This topic covers the working conditions, development, health, safety as well as equal treatment and opportunities for our own workforce. It matters because committed and capable colleagues are essential to long-term success and responsible business practice. It also reflects the importance of creating a working environment in which people can contribute and grow. It is reflected in our community pillar in the 3C framework.
This topic addresses the working conditions and treatment of people who make a material contribution to the development, production and delivery of Vorwerk’s products and services along the value chain. This includes in particular more than 129,400 self-employed advisors at the end of 2025 in direct sales as well as workers at suppliers in the upstream supply chain. It is reflected in the community pillar of our Home 3C framework.
This topic relates to consumers and end-users and includes product safety, comprehensible information, reliable services, responsible data handling and communication that supports informed decisions. It is particularly relevant because our products, services and digital offers are often part of consumers’ and end-users’ everyday lives for many years. Our customers, thus, our community is at the heart of everything we do – an essential part of the 3C framework.
This topic covers integrity, compliance, clear responsibilities and transparent decision-making. For us, responsible business conduct reflects our understanding of accountability as a family business and shapes how we take responsibility for people, products and processes. It provides orientation, strengthens reliability and supports the early identification of risks and consistent learning from tip-offs, thereby helping to build trust internally and externally.
We used 5,822 tonnes of secondary material in our products – equivalent to the cargo of around 243 fully loaded trucks.*
*Assumption: average payload of 24 tonnes per truck
For our sustainability report, we collected data from 24 countries in which the Vorwerk Group operates. This includes all countries with significant business activity – beyond these, Vorwerk is also active in a number of smaller markets.
Greenhouse gas emissions Scope 1, 2 & 3 explained: The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is the global standard for measuring greenhouse gas emissions and a key basis for disclosure under ESRS E1. By classifying emissions into Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3, it enables companies to build a complete emissions baseline.
Scope 1 comprises a company’s direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the company. This includes emissions arising directly from its own operations. At Vorwerk, these emissions primarily relate to building operations, particularly heating, from processes of the three production sites, and the company-owned vehicle fleet.
Scope 2 comprises indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with the generation of purchased energy, particularly electricity, district heating and cooling, that is consumed by the company. While these emissions do not arise directly from the company’s own operations, they result from its energy demand. At Vorwerk, Scope 2 emissions mainly relate to purchased electricity.
Scope 1: 8.905
Scope 2: 4.602
Scope 3: 1.891.124
Sum 1 & 2: 13.507
Scope 3 comprises all other indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur across a company’s upstream and downstream value chain. It includes emissions that do not fall under Scope 1 or Scope 2, but are linked to the company’s business activities — from raw material extraction and purchased goods and services to the use and end-of-life treatment of sold products. As Scope 3 typically represents the largest share of a company’s overall emissions profile, its assessment is essential to gaining a complete understanding of corporate climate impact. At Vorwerk, Scope 3 emissions primarily relate to purchased goods and services, the use of sold products, and the leasing and credit portfolio of the akf-Group.
To put it into perspective: Vorwerk Group’s global Scope 1 and 2 emissions (in 13.507 t CO2e) 2025 were roughly equivalent to 64,320 one-way flights from Düsseldorf to Mallorca.*
*Calculated using the German Environment Agency CO2 Calculator Meine CO2-Bilanz: Flugreisen | CO2-Rechner des Umweltbundesamtes ; further information: Über den CO2-Rechner | CO2-Rechner des Umweltbundesamtes
For us, sustainability is far more than a requirement: it is a driver of performance and a valuable foundation for effective business management. By making progress measurable and transparent, we create the basis to use ESG as a driver of long-term value creation.
Reporting standards generally ensure comparability, high data quality, and the necessary level of granularity across companies and over time. Although Vorwerk will only become subject to mandatory CSRD reporting from 2027 onwards, we are already reporting voluntarily in line with CSRD requirements, driven by conviction and in support of our Strategy 2030 (S30). This proactive approach enhances transparency, audit readiness, and stakeholder trust.
The CSRD is the new EU directive for corporate sustainability reporting. It replaces the previous Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) and introduces significantly higher requirements regarding the content, structure, and traceability of reports. A key principle is double materiality: companies must explain, on the one hand, how sustainability topics affect their business and, on the other hand, what impact their business activities have on the environment and society. As a result, sustainability reports become more comprehensive, transparent, and comparable.
The ESRS translate the CSRD into concrete reporting requirements. They specify exactly what companies must disclose, on which sustainability topics, and in what form – from greenhouse gas emissions and labour-related matters to governance structures. For readers of sustainability reports, this creates a far greater degree of transparency, consistency, and comparability across European companies.
The SBTi provides companies with a science-based framework for setting climate targets. At its core is the question of how emission reductions can be shaped in a way that is aligned with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. For companies, aligning with this science-based pathway is valuable because it helps define climate targets that are credible, robust, and consistent with the remaining global carbon budget. Vorwerk aligns its climate approach with SBTi principles, while formal validation is currently not planned.
The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate initiative for sustainable and responsible business conduct. It is based on ten universal principles related to human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption. Companies that join the UN Global Compact commit to embedding these principles in their strategy and business processes and to reporting regularly on their progress. At the same time, the initiative supports alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and provides an internationally recognized framework for responsible action.
Accountability requires transparency. That is why we track our progress on sustainability in line with EU standards, so that we can better understand our impact and take targeted action.
For more transparency on how we measure progress and what targets we are pursuing, please read our latest sustainability report.
Policies and guiding documents provide the foundation for responsible conduct, transparency and consistent sustainability management across the Vorwerk Group.
