Our Approach

Since 1977, we have been relentless in our pursuit to build high-performance, high-quality packs, bags, and adventure travel gear. This pursuit of best-in-class performance and quality has led us to where we are today and will always be part of our DNA, but over the years our thinking has evolved. We now know that high-performance, premium-quality products alone aren’t enough; we also want to build them as responsibly as possible.

We have realized sustainability is a journey, not a destination. But as it turns out, this journey is not so different than the new product creation process—it requires new ideas, building concept models, testing them, evaluating, then repeating the process until you have an end result you are proud of. It takes time and focus, and we are motivated to take on this challenge, which is no easy feat in our high-performance product category. Below are a few things we have done, some things we are doing, and some others we aspire to do. We’re highly committed to transparency, so this page is updated on regular basis to keep you in the know. and we all benefit from open dialogue, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us anytime.

Logistics & Product Packaging

We always strive to reduce our logistics footprint. In 2018, we overhauled our shipping carton sizes and built new boxes for our Baltoro & Deva packs, which resulted in a 21 percent improvement in shipping efficiency. Simply put, this means we ship less air and fewer containers and therefore burn less fuel during transport from our factories to our warehouses (the longest part of their journey to you). We also design to minimize packaging and seek opportunities to reduce our footprint through responsible and environmentally friendly packaging materials. A recent example, again from our Baltoro & Deva packs, was an initiative to eliminate a corrugated cardboard tube we were using to protect the 3D shoulder harness shape during shipment. To replace it, we custom designed an inflatable, biodegradable polyethylene bag to use in its place. This change saves approximately 7,850 pounds of virgin cardboard from entering a landfill every year.

Design For Repair & Replacement

We have learned a great deal over the years about how to design products that are built to last a lifetime. This commitment to quality has inspired us to take into account special design considerations and build new processes to ensure we design products that can be easily repaired. This requires intensive field and lab testing, years of documented insights and manufacturing experience, and some clever design solutions. It also requires a sophisticated back-end parts and repair center that allows us to quickly and efficiently extend the life of packs that need a little love and care after being in the field for years. Simply put, if we do this well, it can mean the difference between fully replacing a product and simply replacing a small component to extend the life of the product.

Lifetime Guarantee Pack Repair Service – Extend the Lifespan

For decades, we have invested in domestically located repair services—driven by our famous Gregory Lifetime Warranty—which can quickly repair a pack when it is damaged. When a pack can’t be repaired or has reached the end of its life, we now recycle and/or repurpose various components on the pack. These services have extended the lifespan of tens of thousands of packs and saved many raw goods from ending up in landfills. Extending the life of a product is a great way to reduce its overall environmental impact, so we are proud to offer these services to our consumers.

DIY Field Repairable Part Service

We have put a DIY Replacement Part system in place to allow consumers to reach out to us and prevent an aging product from ending up in a landfill. We will continue to expand this program to include smarter solutions that can avoid shipping packs to and from our warranty center for repair whenever possible.

Carbon Neutrality

Our ambition is to reduce our carbon footprint through a global strategy aimed at reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and waste. This includes the product itself (see LCA above), our approach to logistics (the way product moves around the world and is stored), and how we conduct ourselves at our local offices (reusable water bottles, recycling, bike storage, dog-friendly offices to reduce commuting).

Supply Chain Management

Gregory Mountain Products works to ensure that our supply chain reflects our values as a company. We enforce a Code of Conduct with our suppliers and partners that ensures they treat their workers fairly, provide a safe and healthy work environment, and take steps to protect their local environment.

Through our Social Compliance Program (SCP) and its agreements with suppliers, we seek to ensure compliance with all local laws and prevent all instances of child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking.

Gregory Mountain Products conducts unannounced, on-site audits of suppliers and retains independent third parties to do so as well. We encourage open communication with our factory representatives and employees on environmental, health, safety, and social issues, and maintain accountability standards to address and correct instances of noncompliance.

Our Culture, Our People & Social Compliance

Gregory Mountain Products - Great packs should be worn, not carried. Gregory Mountain Products deliver quality backpacks for hiking, backpacking, and travel. www.gregorypacks.co.za |

Gregory Culture

We have a work-hard, play-hard culture, and our family of employees has made a choice to combine their passion for outdoor life and discovery with their professional career. Thanks to our global headquarters’ convenient location at the base of the Wasatch Mountains our team has amazing, stone’s-throw access to local trails and walkability to local restaurants and shops. If you drop into our office on any given day, you’ll find plenty of bikes, skis, dirty shoes, beer cans in the recycling bin, and nearly as many dogs as there are people. Plus packs, of course—tons of packs! We build our prototypes right here in our office and then walk out the back door to test them. With 270-degree views from our office windows, we can feel the energy of the mountains all around us, which inspires and motivates us to push the boundaries of new product design and keeps us smiling all day long.

Our People

Our people have always been our greatest asset. Our approach has always been to attract and retain the best talent possible and provide meaningful development opportunities. We reward and recognize performance and ensure a safe working environment while promoting and supporting employee health and wellbeing.

Employment

We are committed to promoting both equal employment and advancement opportunities, not only in our Salt Lake City offices, but around the world. Gregory strives to be a company where the most qualified people want to work, where people are hired and move forward based on their merits, and where there are opportunities to develop within the business.

Individual Development

Gregory focuses on developing and rewarding teams as well as fostering a culture of recognition to support high performance, success, and talent retention.

Occupational Health

We are committed to protecting the safety, health, and welfare of our employees in the workplace. We follow established procedures to ensure compliance with applicable occupational health and safety (OHS) laws and regulations.

Product Quality

We have built and we actively maintain a quality handbook for each of our major product categories. Gregory has developed an extensive Product Quality Assurance program to ensure the products we sell meet or exceed our strict performance requirements (e.g., wear and durability) and can proudly carry our famous Gregory Lifetime Guarantee. The program outlines the required testing to be performed for our brands/products and the testing equipment that should be utilized for performing such tests.

Product Testing

Product testing and inspection of raw materials, components, and finished goods are conducted at each of our manufacturing facilities to ensure that standards of workmanship are maintained, as well as with our own customized finished-goods testing machines we have built in our Salt Lake City lab. We also have an extensive global network of testers and ambassadors who ensure all new products are beaten up and vetted thoroughly in the field. It’s important to do this in a variety of environments and conditions and with a variety of users.

Customer Service

The Gregory Lifetime Warranty, information on services and repairs, and customer service contact information are available on our websites. Customer service is managed locally within each region or country and we strive to provide professional, friendly and efficient service.

Data Protection and Privacy

Gregory’s policy is to satisfy applicable legal requirements with respect to data protection and privacy. See our Privacy Policy if you want to dig into the details, and feel free to let us know if you have any questions.