Math calculations help Eagle Creek earn Sustainable Business award

One of the most important things the operations staff at Steamboat Springs-based Eagle Creek, an adventure travel gear business, can do to improve their company’s sustainability efforts comes down to math.

Vice President of Operations Jay Lambert maintains a detailed spreadsheet of calculations indicating how Eagle Creek products can be nestled inside larger suitcases and then combined to completely fill a shipping container.

Planning ahead to only ship products in full sea-cargo containers is one way Eagle Creek adventure travel gear works to reduce the environmental footprint of retail products made overseas. Although their products are made in Indonesia and Vietnam and are sold across the U.S., Canada, and Europe; along with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore, staff members are determined to reduce the carbon pollution footprint of operations as much as possible.

Those efforts were recognized with the company receiving the 2024 Sustainable Business of the Year award from the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council. During the nonprofit’s annual awards ceremony in January, the recognition highlighted Eagle Creek “for valuing the natural world in the adventure travel industry through sustainability and community building practices.”