An eco-responsible Site Our commitment
Since the discovery of Grotte de Clamouse, its management team has put respect for the environment and the preservation of its natural and cultural heritage at the heart of its core values. As part of its corporate social responsibility strategy, the company commits to respect relevant legal requirements and to on-going improvement of performance – social, economic and environmental.
Engagement of all stakeholders in this strategy is an essential precondition for our success. Its main priorities are:
- Protecting biodiversity through preserving of habitat and raising visitor awareness of the fauna and flora present on-site;
- Optimizing our waste management by minimizing our production of waste and promoting recycling and adding value;
- Preserving water resources by implementing optimal management of consumption and a system for reusing grey water;
- Maintaining thought out management around electrical systems by optimizing the use of the latest technologies and techniques.
- Promoting local social and economic activity by favouring local producers and participating in local initiatives to preserve the environment.
Our environmental strategy
Among the various actions we carry out, the following illustrate our commitment:
- LED lighting in the cave, reducing energy consumption by 12
- Installation of a monitoring system in order to manage tourist flow and optimise the size of visiting groups.
- Installation of an airlock at the entrance and exit of the cave to limit temperature differences.
- Timer-controlled lights to optimize site lighting time
- Automatic watering shut-off and enhancement of plants adapted to the local climate
- Involvement in the Let's Gorges association and participation in waste collection actions in the Gorges de l'Hérault.
- Nearly 70% of our suppliers are located less than 150 km from our site.
The involvement of all directors, management staff, and employees is the key factor in the implementation of this policy.
Clamouse — an exemplary site for the protection of the underground environment
Since Operation LED in 2010, Grotte de Clamouse has gained international recognition as being at the forefront of sites working to protect the underground environment.
Managed by a team of speleologists from when it was first discovered in 1945, conservation has always been a central concern for the management team. Thus, from the outset, a system of airlocks with 2 gates at the entrance and 2 at the exit was put in place to avoid disturbing the thermal balance of the cave, as well as to prevent draughts.
Likewise, all the lighting has always been on timers in order to illuminate the cave as little as possible.
Finally, within the cave itself, we limit public access to less than 20% of the space, thus completely preserving undeveloped areas set aside for scientific research.
In 2010, a major step was taken with the installation of LED lighting to all areas open to the public. This was a pioneering step that made Clamouse the first tourist cave in the world to be fully equipped with this avant-garde technology.
These lights, specially designed for the underground environment and the management of its constraints, have the advantage of strongly limiting – and even eradicating – plant pollution. This is thanks to the weakly-infrared emitted spectrum that prevents photosynthesis. Moreover, this technology does not emit heat and the thermal balance is not disturbed. In this way, lighting no longer has any harmful impact on the cavity.
Furthermore, in terms of sustainable development, precise readings carried out with ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency) showed that our energy consumption has been divided by 45.
Following the worldwide repercussions of this operation, Clamouse was asked in 2012 by the Furong Cave (China) to share its expertise in the protection of the underground environment. On 27-06-2012, a partnership was signed with an aim of initiating a platform for reflection
2018