Our environmental
commitments

The temperature of La Roche-Posay thermal water in its natural state is 13°C. It needs to be heated to a certain extent for the cure treatments.

Electricity and fuel oil were the standard sources of energy for this heating. Gradually, since a few years now, we have been moving away from fuel oil and towards electricity.

Today, the Thermal Centre has switched to new energy sources which are more environmentally friendly: heating the water with Biogas, a mixture of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), that is generated through the degradation of organic matter in the absence of oxygen – making biogas a 100% renewable energy source. These new sources of energy will make it possible to reduce energy consumption by up to 50%, thus ensuring the carbon neutrality of the Spa.

A heat recovery system has also been installed for the thermal water discharges (the initial discharge temperature is 37° for water that is used for treatments). This recovery system allows both the preheating of cold thermal water intended for treatments (thus limiting the use of fuel) and the cooling of the discharge water before returning it to its natural environment.

Prior to its reopening in January 2022, the Thermal Centre was awarded with the BiodiverCity Construction Label by the International Biodiversity Council of Real Estate. This is a testament to the attention paid to the environment and biodiversity during the renovation of the Thermes du Connétable.

La Roche-Posay thermal spring water is at the very heart of our operations in the Thermes, the Spa and the La Roche-Posay cosmetics brand. The preservation of this water is key to continuing to provide its benefits to future generations. To preserve this unique resource, several measures have been taken. By decree of the Council of State on the 3rd of August 2018, the La Roche-Posay thermal resource was declared to be of public interest. The protection of this precious resource is now part of regulatory framework that ensures its sustainability and the safeguarding of its therapeutic virtues, in the interest of patients and the resort. Strict rules are now in place to preserve the catchment area and consequently the water resource. 

In parallel to this action, La Société Hydrominérale de La Roche-Posay, who is in charge of water exploitation, has renovated all nine springs and the entire distribution network, creating new stainless steel storage tanks, and has also set up a computerised management system for drawing water. This system makes it possible to control, in real-time, all the information that is essential for its preservation and quality. 

Within the new thermal centre, a water distribution network has been installed to allow significant water savings. Indeed, a reduction of more than 30% has been achieved. Finally, thanks to a circular management system, a large part of the thermal water that is released into nature (after cooling and analysis), is recycled for watering the La Roche-Posay golf courses.

The La Roche-Posay Thermal Centre is located in the heart of the Thermal Park, home to an abundant biodiversity. To help preserve these ecosystems, the Spa Centre and the Société Hydrominérale de La Roche-Posay have set up a biodiversity trail: a swallow tower, bat shelters, an insect hotel, an aromatic plant bed, beehives, as well as an eco-pasture area. A large part of the catchment area is occupied by the Golf de la Roche-Posay.

Careful management of watering, landscaping and plant protection products, allow for biodiversity to be preserved, while ensuring the safety of the grounds, which cover the vast majority of the thermal groundwater. 

The mowing height of the golf course is managed differently, allowing flowers and tall grasses to grow in some places, and this helps the preservation of flora and fauna in the area.