Peter Dering

Peak Design began as a company based around an innovative product called the Capture Camera Clip...a mechanism designed to allow photographers to rigidly mount a camera to any belt or strap, allowing for hands free accessibility. The original idea was born on Kickstarter, becoming the second most funded project of all time back in 2011. Today, Peak Design is a major player in the world of photographic accessories and bag design, having cemented our place as the creators of innovative, intelligent, and useful products. Our growth has been fueled by a continued reliance on Kickstarter as a product launching platform. Our eight campaigns have raised over $20m in funding, and our position in retail and direct markets is strong and growing. We have aspirations of continued expansion in the photo specialty market, but are transitioning to a lifestyle and outdoors brand at a reasonable pace. The center of gravity for my CEO role is still largely product based, though I consider my most important role to be the nurturing of our existing in house talent and the acquisition of more human resources that can add to the experience of Peak Design. Above all, the ethos of Peak Design is to promote an environment of enjoyment in all aspects of life...professional and otherwise. So long as this remains the core goal, great people will come, and great products will follow.

The idea for Climate Neutral came from years of attempting to sustainably grow Peak Design. It was abundantly clear that we are not going to reduce our carbon emissions quickly enough in an economy that depends on growth. I'm confident our world will almost entirely decarbonize its energy systems one day. But we need that to happen faster, and we need to do something about the CO2 we've already pumped into the atmosphere. I believe offseting carbon footprints are a great place to start.

Construction underpins the world we live in, and understanding the way we bring buildings to life served as a critical lesson in how we operate as a society, and how business gets done. I have the utmost respect for the architects, engineers, tradespeople, and developers that shape this world...particularly those who do it with sustainability in mind. I was honored to learn from all of you as a Project Engineer.