The Utopia internet platform is dedicated to promoting sustainable consumer behaviour and lifestyle. Their aim is to help people make informed choices so that with every purchase made environmentally friendly products and fair working conditions around the world can be supported. At the Utopia Annual Convention 2010 at the Malzfabrik in Berlin, on October 28, numerous companies, people and products that stand out in this respect were honored. The jury’s Business Award went to dm, the German drugstore chain. Utopia community users, on the other hand, chose VAUDE as the most sustainable business of the year 2010.
The medium sized family-run company, based at Lake Constance, is consistently pursuing its vision step-by-step of becoming Europe’s most environmentally friendly outfitter. Antje von Dewitz, VAUDE Managing Director, accepted the award from the well-known German TV presenter, Nova Meierhenrich, at the Gala in person. She expressed her gratitude on behalf of all VAUDE employees for this extraordinary recognition: “It is an enormous honor for me to be here today to accept this award. I am very pleased that the Utopia Community sees and appreciates our active commitment with this award. It is a wonderful acknowledgement of all our ecological and social efforts. My thanks go to Utopia as well as all our colleagues that through their dedication and hard work ensure that our ecological vision does not remain a utopia, but becomes more real every day.”
The Utopia Awards were presented for the third time this year. The network www.utopia.de is the largest online community for strategic consumption and sustainable living in the German-speaking world. It sees itself as an information and discussion platform that furthers sustainable living, strategic consumption and social responsibility of consumers in a globalized world. It offers recommendations and buying advice for a sustainable way of life, and showcases exemplary companies, organisations and people that are committed to pursuing ecological, social and economically sustainable lifestyles.
