MELBOURNE FACTORY

This collaborative, open space at 650 Somerville Road, Sunshine West, Melbourne, is the hub of ONE PLANET®. Our gear has been designed and manufactured, serviced and supplied from here since a fire gutted our Flemington factory in 2005 (read more history here). Inside the light, bright, open buildings are our office, warehouse, factory, staff canteen, down room, photography and design studio, all full of passionate, knowledgeable and active users who are experts and innovators in their distinct fields.

It’s here where we dream big ideas, tinker and explore new technologies, and produce awesome gear for antipodean adventures. It’s a hands-on and co-operative process, where ideas and innovations are always welcome. And it’s a downright pleasant place to work, too.

Melbourne Factory

DESIGN, TINKERING AND CREATION

All ONE PLANET® gear is designed and developed in our Melbourne factory, where most products are also made. We test gear in labs, in the factory and the old-fashioned way – outside, in the elements.

Our first priority is function: it’s not great gear unless it works here. Because it’s not just the multiculturalism, the accent, the attitude and the animals that sets our region apart. It’s also the scratchy and scrambly terrain, the harsh sun and the weather extremes. ONE PLANET® is embedded here; we know the land’s contours and its pranks. We know that straps get caught on everything, that water is key, that pack fabric needs to be tougher than the wildlife and able to keep out both red dirt and torrential rain.

Made in Australia

We love gear and getting out there. Our unique wilderness and the hands-on, can-do attitude found in our antipodean patch of the world sets us apart. We choose to bushwalk in all seasons, we’re passionate about skiing when we can, climbing as often as possible, paddling in water both high and low, and generally getting into nature whenever we can.

Hiking

We’re designing daily, toying with prototypes, patterns and products. We research and develop both raw materials (fabrics, buckles and foams) and manufacturing technology (machinery, construction techniques) to improve our gear, continually innovate and develop products that are globally competitive.

Good design is functional, comfortable and reliable.

Most afternoons we’re in the factory, putting together prototypes, first samples and finalising product runs.

Sometimes it’s back to the drawing board, sometimes into the workshop…

Many of our machines have been custom-built or adapted to meet our needs.

These technological innovations allow us to push the boundaries of manufacturing and make super durable, functional equipment. A walk around our factory reveals a range of technical, unique machinery, each playing a key role in making our gear.

Our focus on good design entwines functionality and durability with the sustainable development of gear.

Pack design

Hiking pack design

DAY-TO-DAY LIFE

At ONE PLANET®, we strive to give our staff a good work/life balance in lots of everyday (yet not usual) ways.

Ours is a close-knit community, with every staff member bringing unique and valued skills. We employ a diverse range of local people, and are committed to providing specialist training. We want people to stay, learn, work and play with us for years, and many staff members have – we even have a few legends who have been with us for multiple decades.

Designing a pack

Every weekday, the factory opens at 7 am and the office at 9 am, both closing at 5:30 pm. Flexible work arrangements are available for everyone, with outdoor adventures encouraged!

We calculate and carbon offset all staff travel to and from work, as well as for work purposes. (For example, deliveries between the factory and our shop in Melbourne’s Little Bourke Street.) We’ve been doing this ever since we moved to Sunshine West in 2005.

Morning tea and lunch are enjoyed daily by all employees, as well as visitors. Factory staff also have an additional meal break.

We value the increased enjoyment that flexibility, shared spaces, healthy food options and an approach low in hierarchy bring to work. They encourage social interaction and directly support a wholesome, respectful working environment.

VISITING

We love having schools to visit! You can also drop off and pick up repairs or orders. Let’s chat!

Australia

LOCAL MANUFACTURING

In our Melbourne factory, we make gear from the ground up. Our rucksacks, rainwear, gaiters, accessories, and more are manufactured daily. We fill and finish down sleeping bags to order, and custom-make industrial equipment such as canvas Antarctic tents.

Our range is both diverse and specific, designed for activities as varied as your adventures. Rucksacks come in both WATERLOC® canvas, Diamondloc and Cordura nylon, ranging from 15–110 litres. Our rainwear is made from Synapse and Synapse AP, three-layer, durable waterproof/breathable shell fabric(s) used to make high-performance jackets and pants in all sizes and styles. Our down sleeping bag range contains more than 100 models, each made to order.

WATERLOC® canvas is milled in NSW to our specifications, exclusively for ONE PLANET® use, with most rope and cord designed and manufactured in Melbourne. Our Cordura nylon comes from South Korea, whilst the Synapse fabric used in our rainwear is laminated in Korea. Buckles, zips and toggles are carefully selected from various suppliers.

Throat drawcord

Waterloc canvas

Labels

Melbourne manufacturing

Producing most of our gear in-house gives us incredible control over the manufacturing process and an unique understanding of product quality. We know how things work, where they can be improved: we just get it. We believe there is no other way to manufacture world-class gear.

We have more machines than staff, with each machine set up to do a single job or type of stitch. Our machinists are highly experienced, moving around to guide products through the different machines and stages of construction.

This method is ideal for staff, keeping them fresh and alert. There are no shortcuts with manufacturing this way either: the best machine is used for each process, whether that’s bar tacks, binding, cutting or riveting.

Every stitch counts…

In our Melbourne factory we produce small batches of around 30 units, giving excellent quality control and assurance. We are also able to operate ‘just in time’, allowing efficient management of both raw materials and the finished goods inventory, as well as a quick response to the market.

LEADING AUSTRALIAN SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION

Our responsibilities have remained the same since ONE PLANET® first began: to produce well-made, technical equipment in a low-impact manner while ensuring safe, fair, non-discriminatory working conditions. Read more about our social and environmental responsibilities.

We’re proud to make most of our gear in Melbourne: local manufacturing reduces our total carbon footprint and the footprint of each product, whilst providing local jobs. Operating a factory gives us a real, day-to-day understanding of the impacts of manufacturing.

At our Sunshine West facility we focus on minimising this impact. We choose sustainable materials, continually strive to improve efficiencies and reduce waste, and carbon offset our consumable resources. Examples abound. Products are designed to maximise materials and reduce waste, with product patterns developed with consideration of fabric widths and offcuts reused.

We reduce our energy usage in myriad ways: upgrading and refitting our sewing machines to use energy-efficient servo motors; LED sensor lighting in our warehouse; heating and cooling management and more. Most of the energy we use is generated from the solar panels on our factory roof. The electricity we purchase is all accredited renewable energy.

IDFL Tag

Cotton

Manufacturing

SOLAR DAYS

In 2023 we installed 120 solar panels on the factory and warehouse roofs. These solar arrays aim to generate more electricity than is consumed by both our Sunshine West facilities and Melbourne CBD shop annually. We’ve been buying Green Power and offsetting our consumable resources since 2005, but we’re proud to take the next step and solidify our Sunshine West facility as home.

factory solar panels

SUPPLY CHAIN

We’re proudly Australian owned and dedicated to local manufacturing, and manufacture from the ground-up in our Melbourne factory. Domestically we produce our rucksack range (daypacks, bushwalking rucksacks, duffle bags and more), our range of travel luggage, and our rainwear range, including jackets, overpants, gaiters and a multitude of accessories. We also fill and finish our down sleeping bags, making them to order. Raw materials and components (buckles, fabric rolls, down, zips, cord) are sourced from suppliers both local (our preference) and global.

We have long-term partnerships with specialist international manufacturers, with relationships that are decades long and committed to ensuring the highest quality products. Our ranges of tents, synthetic sleeping bags, sleeping bag componentry, warm wear (fleece) and footwear are all made internationally.

In our Melbourne facility we uphold our Standard of Manufacturing. We work closely with our international partners to ensure they understand these standards and are committed to maintaining them.

Social & Environmental Responsibilities

Manufacturing standard

Material sourcing

Modern slavery

REPAIR AND CARE SERVICE

ONE PLANET® is old-fashioned in the best kind of way. The kind that says your things matter, that you’ll spend enough time with your pack to fix it if something goes wrong and mourn it when it’s gone, remembering the walks, the views, the epics and the weather. We build gear that lets that happen, and get warm, fuzzy feelings when we receive 20-year-old products in for a bit of love and patching. Because we not only make it, we fix it too: good for you and your precious gear; an invaluable source of feedback for us.

When you buy ONE PLANET® gear you’re not just buying our products, you’re enlisting our support for your adventures and the care and performance of your gear. Welcome!

Read more about our repair service or book your gear in.

Duffle tuff nut bag


 

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