Water saving and more efficient waste management are the two areas on which campsites in Vendée are focusing their efforts to accelerate the environmental transition of the outdoor hospitality sector. Through collective programmes, awareness-raising activities and new technological solutions, operators in the French region aim to reduce the environmental impact of their facilities and promote more sustainable behaviour among professionals and holidaymakers.
The first area of intervention concerns the management of water resources. The results of the pilot phase of the collective water-saving programme have confirmed the effectiveness of the approach: among the 30 campsites involved, 70% have already implemented or planned concrete actions to reduce consumption following the initial assessment. The measures adopted are expected to result in total water savings of 19,400 m³ per year.
The project is now entering a new phase, presented during a press conference by the Fédération Vendéenne de l’Hôtellerie de Plein Air (FVHPA), together with Vendée Expansion and Vendee Eau. The aim is to support 90 campsites over the next three years, involving 30 each year, and to provide operators with a new digital tool to monitor and manage water consumption more effectively.
The new phase of the programme benefits from financial support from the Agence de l’eau Loire-Bretagne and technical support from FairMoove Solutions, formerly Betterfly Tourism. It is the first collective initiative of this scale dedicated to water saving in the outdoor hospitality sector. The guide to water-saving solutions can be consulted at the following link: urlr.me/fPxqqV.
Greater focus on waste sorting
At the same time, the FVHPA is also working on waste management, focusing on awareness-raising, support and innovation. In recent days, for example, Camping Aunis Club Vendée in La Tranche-sur-Mer hosted, in partnership with Veolia, a day dedicated to waste sorting and recovery.
Through four fun and interactive workshops, holidaymakers were able to learn more about correct waste-sorting practices and become actively involved in the waste recovery process. Among the solutions presented was an innovative technology: a waste container equipped with artificial intelligence, capable of identifying sorting errors during collection operations.
The initiative also highlighted the actions through which the FVHPA supports its members in their environmental transition. Priorities include reducing single-use packaging by developing reuse-based solutions, improving waste sorting, composting and recovery, as well as pooling resources through collective purchases of suitable equipment and tools.
Photo: FVHPA
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