Weleda, featured on the cover of the Spring issue of Retail Beauty, has officially opened its new logistics hub, the Cradle Campus, in Schwäbisch Gmünd, a city in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. This cutting-edge facility, built entirely with sustainability at its core, is 100% emission-free and represents the largest investment in Weleda’s history, with a total project volume of 90 million euros ($146 million).
The exclusive inauguration event was attended by 70 distinguished guests from politics, business, and society, including Dr Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister for Economic Affairs of the State of Baden-Württemberg, and Richard Arnold, Mayor of Schwäbisch Gmünd.
The Cradle Campus is positioned as a beacon of sustainability, blending environmental, economic, and social considerations and built primarily from locally sourced timber and rammed earth. It is powered by solar and geothermal energy, and operates with zero emissions. Its innovative architecture has already garnered prestigious awards, including the Polis Award 2024 in the Ecological Reality category and the Iconic Award from the German Design Council for Best of Best – Innovative Architecture. Even during construction, the project earned the DGNB Platinum Standard Pre-Certificate from the German Sustainable Building Council, the highest sustainability rating.
Weleda’s approach to designing the Cradle Campus was holistic, with significant input from employees to ensure that the facility met their needs. The use of rammed earth walls enables the building to meet stringent medicine storage requirements without artificial air conditioning, further reducing its environmental impact.
The Cradle Campus is Weleda’s largest single investment to date. CEO Tina Müller highlighted the project’s alignment with Weleda’s long-term goals, stating: “The Cradle Campus aligns perfectly with the Weleda strategy. It stands for responsible growth – for growth in harmony with people and nature.” Müller highlighted the importance of businesses operating regeneratively, stating, “It is not enough to simply do less harm to natural resources. We need to give back and actively restore the foundations of life. Sustainability and growth are not opposing forces. Sustainability drives growth.”
Thomas Jorberg, Chairman of Weleda’s Board of Directors, added, “The Cradle Campus bridges the past and future of Weleda. It embodies the values that have guided us since the company’s founding: sustainability, respect for nature, and social responsibility. At the same time, the campus serves as a model for how businesses should function today and in the future.”
The new logistics centre consolidates Weleda’s international sales logistics, previously spread across six locations, into one central hub. The facility features a fully automated timber high-bay warehouse with a capacity for 17,200 pallets. Under standard operating conditions, up to 10,000 orders will be dispatched daily to 47 countries. The Cradle Campus enables Weleda to digitalise its logistics processes, significantly improving order picking and shipping efficiency.
Alois Mayer, member of the Weleda Management Board, highlighted the facility’s forward-thinking design, stating, “With the Cradle Campus, we are ideally equipped to support the growth of Weleda, elevating our logistics to an entirely new level. But the campus is even more – it is a fully sustainable complex in harmony with nature.”
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