LIVE FOR PEOPLE & EARTH

Our commitments

There’s no two ways about it. To enjoy coming to work every morning we have to do it with common sense and in line with our values. Besides, it is also what sets the foundation of our sincere and strong relationship with our customers, our suppliers and our employees.

Our commitments are simple but essential: let every voice be heard, share our passion, maintain a direct and transparent relationship, and preserve our environment.

Among these commitments, the environment side is a major concern since the GONG staff brings together nature enthusiasts, starting with its founder. Nature preservation is therefore systematically part of the decision-making process and every part of our activity is concerned.

Inclusivity

GONG was created to facilitate access to boardsports we love. Allowing you to have more for the same price means ensuring more pleasure in nature. Allowing you to have a little for a lot less means accessing previously elitist pleasure.

More people on the water, more sharing, that doesn't please everyone. But we do it with a great educational and responsible spirit. We don't just throw people out in the water. We immerse our new clients in a marine and surfing culture. Because the interest of our sports is for us not to pretend to practice them, but to live it to our core.

So, we make a lot of people happy, while doing the least amount of damage to our planet as possible, without naive optimism either of course.

Design of durable gear

The durability of the equipment we produce is an absolute priority, for your pleasure on the water of course, but also to reduce its environmental impact.

Just like our wing, kite or SUP boards which are only offered in full sandwich techno, the equipment we offer is made to last. Whether it is for example the radical Lethal or the Lance from your beginnings in wing foiling, they are designed to be able to withstand the repeated stresses that an intensive use involves. We put enormous resources into developing the most resistant products and controlling their quality. We know the value of a session and are committed to offering you equipment of the highest possible reliability.

The durability of our equipment could not be complete without repairability facilitated by the techniques implemented and the various services we offer. Spare parts, repair kits, tutorials and our workshop at the GONG Space Center, our desire is always to offer you solutions to keep your favorite equipment in perfect working order.

The quest of zero disposable plastic

Like any manufacturer, we have a moral responsibility for the waste produced by our packaging. Each product is thought out and a reflection is carried out on its packaging.

Recyclable, or even reusable solutions are systematically favored. For example, during 2018, we were the first brand in the world to replace all the plastic packaging that protected rigid boards during transport with a more expensive but 100% recyclable solution: Flexi-Hex. This intelligent recycled cardboard completely eliminates plastic from our packaging and guarantees very effective protection during transport.

The implementation of this solution allowed us to avoid a considerable consumption of plastic in the form of bubble wrap, polystyrene blocks and tape. Your boards are better protected and the packaging is reusable and also recyclable. It has also improved the work of the preparers, which is now less painful and more rewarding when you know that you are doing less harm to the planet.

This dynamic is fundamental for us, concerns all of the products we offer, and motivates us daily.

Respecting our suppliers

The quality products we offer reflect the quality of the relationships we maintain with our suppliers. Relationships that are long-lasting and balanced in exchanges. At GONG, most suppliers have followed us since the beginning of the adventure, and we even contributed to creating some of them. There is no secret, to succeed in a professional relationship you need respect, good communication and to progress together. These are our commitments with our suppliers and they repay us well with products that meet the extremely high specifications of our product division.

Our strength is to not only be product designers but also to be involved in the manufacturing processes. A dual role which results in very close collaboration with our suppliers. Exchanges and visits are continuous, which streamlines production and facilitates the implementation of new products.

Like the relationship we have with the users of our products, contacts are direct and transparent. Our prices are online and we know the production costs. So when we propose to a supplier to manufacture this or that range, the basic rule is very simple: it’s 50/50, plus taxes. Simple and balanced. A guarantee of trust and loyalty that benefits the entire chain, from the producer to the end user.

Our Value Deals

Because we know that not everyone has the same budget for their equipment, we do everything to offer you as many good deals as possible, at even lower prices.

We call them our “Value Deals”, because each of these deals has been designed to create value for you, or for the environment. We never do opportunistic promotions because our business model simply does not allow us to do so.

End of series, Second Choice, Refurbished, Expo, Used: 5 good reasons (and only 5) which allow us to put our products on discount.

This is our way of finding tangible solutions to be as sustainable as possible. Nothing is lost, everything can be repaired. Furthermore, it can be beneficial for your budget.

Green Electricity

All of our facilities run on green electricity. Our energy supplier guarantees that for 1MWh consumed in our offices, the workshop and the various storage sites, 1MWh of electricity of renewable origin is produced. This is a significant additional cost for GONG but we consider this gesture necessary. We want to be part of a dynamic that allows the development of green electricity supply.

In the same dynamic, we designed and occupy a very low consumption building. Exceeding the current insulation standards twice over, with high-quality glazing which considerably limits the use of heating or air conditioning, and our covered stock with huge openings of natural light, we have designed the project down to the smallest detail to save energy.

We are not naive about our environmental impact and energy issues. Our approach is to adopt a consistent behavior that brings concrete and measurable benefits. It's only a first step, but the direction we're taking is the only one we consider worthwhile. We are constantly striving to improve, and will be announcing significant new measures in the near future!

A Green site

Our GONG Space Center is located in an industrial area. No trees were cut for its construction. To go further in our approach, we bought the forests around the site to preserve them. These forests are managed by an organization that ensures the good health of this ecosystem. GONG remunerates this organization which offers useful solutions.

We have a project to preserve pipistrelles (bats), help xylophagous insects to feed on dead wood, protect hedgehogs and all small local animals, open small passages for them in the ground in the fence to let them live freely. etc…

We also refused to plant grass. Thus, nearly 4,000m2 are planted in flowery meadows to the delight of bees and other insects. It will sometimes be less pretty, but so much more fun to see all these living beings around us. The woods around our site are home to larger animals, including deer and wild boars. And hearing a green woodpecker is commonplace on the terrace where our employees can have a break.

We have created a retention basin, mandatory to absorb heavy rains. But we have redesigned it so that filter-feeding plants can grow there. The water that flows into it is treated as it should be beforehand, and we hope to see the development of life forms already present after a few months: amphibians, dragonflies and other water insects. The evacuation of the excess water is not done by a pipe, but by a small surface stream that we have created to make the place bucolic for us as for the other inhabitants.

To vegetate the site, we have chosen not to plant species that could harm the local flora. Ornamental “exotic” species are not invasive and are isolated from local species in small dedicated islands. The pride of place is given to the local essences that we adore, and these are not extraordinary things: simply what was there before us.

Take Care

The advantage of having a boss who started his company on his own is that he has done all the jobs in the company. He understands the constraints of each position. Thus, everything that can be implemented to improve each job is put in place to the extent of our means.

An incredible place to work, just 10 minutes from the spot (GONG Space Center).
Staff united around a shared passion - that's what gives you the smile in the morning.
Flexible schedule to enjoy the conditions
Private showers and changing rooms to dress after sessions.
Personalized sports coaching available in the workplace gym to keep fit and unwind.
Equipment on loan so you can get in the water every day.
A familial and understanding management for life's unforeseen events.
A real opportunity to develop and build your career.
Top-of-the-range computer hardware (100% Apple).
Guaranteed safety in the workplace.
Attractive bonuses and benefits (good health insurance, Swile card).
Regular group activities: birthdays, beach parties, sessions...

Equal opportunities

We firmly believe in offering our employees the greatest possible equality of opportunity. This is why we are presenting our company’s parity index in full transparency (81/100). An essential gauge for measuring professional equality within GONG, one of the fundamental pillars of our corporate culture.

Average gross annual compensation differential index per FTE: 36/40. This indicator highlights equal pay for all our employees, regardless of gender.
Individual increase rate differential index: 35/35. This indicator shows that we have offered our employees increases in a totally equitable manner, regardless of gender.
Percentage of employees who received a raise in the year following their return from maternity leave: 0/15. A poor rating? Well, think again. If we don't meet these very specific criteria, we unreservedly support our employees in their maternity plans. Moreover, out of our 2 female colleagues who took maternity leave, we offered one of them a raise even before the end of her leave... too early to meet the criteria for the index rating. Because what matters is not the score but the well-being of our young mothers.
Number of employees of the under-represented sex among the 10 highest earners: 5/10. This shows that women are better paid than men in the top 10 of our employees. We make no distinction between men and women at the highest level of our organization. Skills count, nothing else.

We believe these statistics are the starting point for concrete actions to promote a culture of equality and diversity within our company. We will keep working actively to improve these indicators and to advance gender equality in all aspects of our business.

Live for People & Earth