Environmental
Management

A daily commitment

For 10 years, the Saint-Gervais ski area has been committed to an environmental approach aimed at reducing the ecological footprint of its activity on the natural environment. These actions led to obtaining ISO 14001 certification.

Risk analysis and environmental action plan are part of the daily life of the STBMA. ISO 14001 certified, the company is thus part of a continuous improvement process. Numerous actions are being taken to reduce the environmental impact by controlling activity and raising staff awareness of environmental issues.

The mountain is a fragile environment, the STBMA is therefore committed to:

• - Preserve natural water and energy resources.
• - Limit the impact of its pollution.
• - Comply with legal and other applicable environmental requirements.
• - Integrate the environmental aspect into all its projects.
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Reduce the impact of lift operations

The main themes of STBMA’s environmental actions are aimed at reducing the impact of operations. They are the result of an environmental analysis with a rating of significant environmental aspects and impacts making it possible to identify priority points and generating actions to prevent or improve the environmental management system.

Relationship with environmental stakeholders

In addition to taking environmental institutions into consideration, the STBMA is close to its territory and to the actors with whom it shares it. Like the work on which it has collaborated with the Haute-Savoie section of the Domaines Skiables de France and the alpine operating company, the STBMA is working on the formalization of good practices initiated in the town with the SEA74, in order to give a framework for its collaboration with mountain agriculture.

A team of employees who are in charge of the ski trail grooming in winter also carry out agricultural activities the rest of the year. In addition to the management, they are the main interlocutors of the farmers, which allows a real consideration of the requirements of each stakeholder.

Continuous improvement process

STBMA's desire is to continue to improve in all sustainable development aspects of its activity by taking in consideration its societal and environmental responsibilities.

The effectiveness of the environmental management system is regularly verified by conducting field audits:

• - audits carried out by the head of the environmental management system.
• - self-assessment audits by field teams.
• - external audits carried out by a certified auditor specializing in ski areas.
• - ISO 14001 certification audits.

These audits testify to the maturity of the environmental management system within the structure and make it possible to guarantee the maintenance and continuous improvement of this system.

Among our actions:

• Eco-grooming of ski trails
• The new ecological vehicles of Saint-Gervais
• Ecomobility
• Water resource management
• The high-altitude lake of Joux and rehabilitation of an alpine pasture area
• Chattrix development project and sustainable development
• Beginners area of Mont d'Arbois and landscape integration
• Management and optimization of energy consumption
• Waste management and reduction
• Management of flora and fauna