The CEO of imaging accessory company Peak Design, Peter Dering, has revealed the company has halted sales of its products to Russia in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The news was shared via a Peak Design newsletter titled ‘Stand with Ukraine’ issued on 4 March 2022.
Dering also outlined measures, including sending any Peak Design bags that have been returned in the EU to refugees in Poland.
The company is also promising free access to Peak Design gear for any photojournalists on the ground who could use the equipment to help them to share ‘critical information’ about the war.
Peak Design is a US-based imaging accessory company that designs and makes camera bags, travel bags, straps, tripods and mobile phone accessories.
The newsletter from Peak Design’s CEO Peter Dering, titled ‘Stand with Ukraine’, said the following:
Like so many around the world, we are gutted by Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine. It’s almost incomprehensible that so much death and pain is being inflicted all for the sake of one man’s ego. Or ‘legacy’. Or something that feels unconscionable to the rest of us. The news is moving fast and specifics feel fluid, but we have identified a few places where we think we can make a difference, even if it’s small:
1 – We are collecting all of our EU returned bags and getting them to refugees who are arriving in Poland. Our Polish distributor is helping to coordinate this effort. Our hope is that these gently used bags prove useful for those who have had to flee their homes and homeland.
2 – Any photojournalist/journalist on the ground will have full access, for free, to any Peak Design gear that can be useful in sharing critical information about this war. If you know anyone working in Ukraine, please email ukrainesupport@peakdesign.com. Logistics are obviously very difficult at a time like this, and we will be working with our fulfilment companies and our distributors in adjacent countries to make this gear available and accessible.
3 – We have ceased sales to Russia, both on our website and via wholesale distribution. Our third party European warehouse has ceased shipping product to Russia, a move which we did not instigate but falls in line with our decision. It was a tough decision that immediately affects our Russian customers and partners. But we think all responsible businesses should exert pressure wherever possible to condemn Putin’s unhinged campaign of violence. Our expertise is product design, not geopolitics, but we believe that businesses should embrace the urge to help and speak up in whatever capacity that they can.
Peter Dering, Peak Design Founder & CEO
To find out more about Peak Design go to the Peak Design website.
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