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A story turned towards the future

Since its first ski lift in 1936 and the passage of the Tour de France in 1952, Alpe d’Huez has become a popular destination summer and winter. Its attendance is constantly growing, mixing loyal holidaymakers and new visitors attracted by a varied and authentic offer. From the village at 1860 m to the Pic Blanc at 3330 m, a whole ecosystem of professionals evolves together. The resort must today adapt to a changing economic and tourist context. To these challenges is now added a major concern: climate change.

Turning the corner, now

It is time to take the pulse of our mountains and assume our responsibility in the face of a massif that requires a lasting commitment. Between preserving the economic pillar and maintaining thousands of jobs concerned, the balance is fragile and depends on our current choices. Our destination recognizes its heritage, its limits and the need to evolve. The roadmap is underway: carbon footprint, Flocon Vert, Zero Waste Mountain Charter and their associated actions. This shift must be taken together, in a shared, creative and resolute transition for the future of mountains.

A territory strategy

To guide our environmental strategy, we have initiated a Flocon Vert labeling process. The analysis of the territory by Mountain Riders, completed by our carbon footprint assessment, has revealed avenues for action (waste, energy, biodiversity, water, soils…). We now have all the elements to define our first objectives.

A carbon footprint of 196,175 CO2e over 2023
- That’s 167 days of train traffic in France
- the annual emissions of 19 816 French
- 32 218 tours de la terre en avion
- la combustion de 63 282 258 litres de gasoil
- travel represents 80% of the carbon footprint.

6 working groups at work
- To involve the inhabitants in the Flocon Vert label, we have created 6 working groups on 6 main themes: local life, heritage, waste, resources, owners and purchases. These groups are in charge of proposing concrete areas for improvement.

A nature to protect, preserve and enhance

Our territory is home to remarkable biodiversity, with three high-altitude wetlands, more than 190 floristic species and 160 fauna species. These environments play an essential role in water regulation and carbon storage. Each space, at both high and low altitudes, is carefully monitored to preserve resources and natural diversity.

3 altitude wetlands of heritage interest
- They are listed by the Conservatory of Natural Spaces, protected by Biotope Protection Orders and labeled as a Sensitive Natural Space. These are real sponges that soak up water during wet periods (snowmelt) to release it into the environment during dry periods. They contribute to maintaining the flow of watercourses and protect this essential resource for the economic activity of Alpe d’Huez.
1,528 species throughout the entire territory of Alpe d’Huez
- Among those – some are protected to avoid their disappearance, such as the Apollo Butterfly and the Drosera
Planting in 10 years of 6,000 trees
- Since 2014, the community has been planting trees and requests, when issuing a building permit, the planting or recovery of trees and plants on the land.
The highest greenhouses in France at an altitude of 1500m
- The green spaces team produces on-site 12,000 annual plants and 2,000 perennial plants, all acclimated to their environment and with little water consumption. No pesticides are used, the green spaces team prioritizes hoeing, brushing, weeding, sweeping or even insects.
An alpine garden at 2700m altitude
- A garden to discover in an educational and fun way the mountain flora. At your feet, dozens of species such as the Alpine Pansy, the mountain Arnica, the marsh blueberry, the bay clover, or even the Alpine Alchémille.
Grazing, a tradition that endures
- About 2,000 sheep and 280 cattle are scattered on the estate in summer and supervised by two shepherds. This practice helps to preserve biodiversity, conserve natural landscapes and protect mountain ecosystems.

Move while minimizing its impact

Travel is a major part of the carbon footprint of a stay at Alpe d’Huez. To limit the use of the car, we provide free public transport, modern shuttles and lifts with free access. The objective is to facilitate travel for everyone while reducing environmental impact.

A network of electrical terminals
- In total, the municipality now has 22 charging points spread over 7 sites, including the first super charger in the department with 6 charging points.

free shuttles
- To encourage the use of public transport, the Resalp shuttles circulating in the resort and to the lakes are free and meet Euro6 standards. We have also put a hybrid coach into service, the first to operate in the French Alps
3 ski lifts with free access
- Huez Express, Alpe Express and the Telecentre are accessible free of charge to encourage holidaymakers and locals not to use their car. Last winter (2024-2025), nearly 1,655,000 passages were recorded.
GoAlpe d’Huez for a cleaner trip
- The online service “Go Alpe d’Huez” allows to aggregate and sell all transport methods in the same place in order to create the most successful and responsible route possible.

For responsible waste management

Waste management is a major issue in the resort, especially during tourist periods. At Alpe d’Huez, we analyze their origin and develop solutions to reduce volumes at the source. The objective is to drastically reduce, or even eliminate, waste in order to sustainably protect our mountains.

Zero waste mountain goal
- The ambition today is clear: 0 wild waste in our mountains by 2030. To achieve this, the Alpe d’Huez has signed the charter and an action plan with 3 priorities: reduce, raise awareness, collect and evaluate
1700 kg of waste
- Every year for 20 years, a waste collection operation is organized in the spring on the estate and at the station. In 2025, 1,700 kg of waste were collected, including 20,000 cigarette butts. Last winter, 3000 reusable pocket ashtrays were distributed free of charge.
Composters available
- The community of communes of Oisans has deployed 12 composters in Huez and Alpe d’Huez to allow locals and holidaymakers to sort organic waste. They are transformed into compost and then made available free of charge at the Huez recycling centre
A charter of events
- We welcome each year more than thirty events (sports and cultural) generating waste. We are working on the development of a specific charter to frame good actions.

Adapt the activity to climate changes

To maintain a year-round life in the coming decades, we must adapt our tourism dynamics to climate change. With Altitude 3300, Espace Alpe d’Huez projects for all seasons, all practices and at the service of a living and sustainable territory for the next 50 years.

Strengthen the link between the 5 stations of the Espace Alpe d’Huez
- We are replacing 6 old equipment, less adapted, by the installation of new gondolas, faster, more comfortable and more efficient. We want to facilitate travel between destinations, in any season.

2x less kWh consumed per user
- More sober equipment, less energy-consuming, designed for a more responsible mountain tourism and carried by 30 local companies
Wider accessibility
- Infrastructure designed for everyone: skiers, pedestrians, mountain bikers, families, people with reduced mobility

Espace Alpe d’Huez, at the heart of the reflection

SATA Group has been committed for several years to an environmental approach fully aware of the challenges facing the planet and the conservation of its field of action: the territory and the mountain domain

Supervised renovation work
- A landscape and environmental impact study is always carried out. The buildable areas are also delimited in order not to impact on the ecological corridors. Once the work has been launched, several provisions are adopted, including among others: re-vegetation and systematic revegetation, biodegradable and labeled equipment, protection of wildlife, notably the red frog
A landscape integration policy
- Since 2005, the SATA has been taking steps to dismantle pylons and cables. Today we have removed 150 km of pylons and 50 km of cables.
Limit polluting transport
- The Sata has set up a bus route for transporting its employees from the valley
- All employees using snow groomers and motorized vehicles are trained in eco-driving
- The 28 snow groomers and the 4x4s that drive on the estate operate at HVO100. Initiatives that have led to an 85% reduction in greenhouse gases for the fleet and 65% in fine particles. A real desire despite an additional cost of 20 to 30%.