Everything you need to know about Andermatt Responsible

What is Andermatt Responsible?

Andermatt Responsible is the campaign for sustainable tourism in the Andermatt region. It is intended to help implement sustainability and climate protection projects, to network the players involved, and to inform guests, the population and suppliers about this and to raise their awareness. This is because we are convinced that it is in the interest of all of us to protect Switzerland’s mountain environment. Our goal is to reduce CO2 emissions from tourism and make it as sustainable as possible.

Who is behind Andermatt Responsible?

Andermatt Responsible was initiated by the key players from the Andermatt region and the surrounding areas. They include Andermatt Swiss Alps AG, the ski region Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis, and the NGO Protect Our Winters Switzerland (POW). Andermatt Swiss Alps operates the Andermatt Reuss holiday village, The Chedi Andermatt and Radisson Blu Reussen hotels, and the SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun. The SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun and POW Switzerland have been implementing environmental and climate protection measures in an exclusive partnership since the winter of 2018/19, which are now being extended and expanded.

What is POW?

Protect Our Winters Switzerland is the voice of the outdoor community for climate protection in Switzerland. POW is a community of athletes, activists and committed companies who are working on solutions to bring about change in society, business and politics.

The non-profit organisation POW was founded in the USA in 2007 by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones and has been active in Switzerland since 2017. POW is now represented in over 15 countries worldwide.

POW informs and raises awareness among members of the outdoor community and provides them with tools to reduce their ecological footprint. The organisation helps companies, associations and organisations to develop a sustainable business model. It advocates an ambitious Swiss climate policy that respects the commitments of the Paris Agreement.

What is Andermatt Swiss Alps AG?

Andermatt Swiss Alps AG is an unlisted limited company with registered office in Andermatt. Orascom Development Holding AG holds 49% of the shares, with the remaining 51% being held directly and indirectly by the tourism entrepreneur Samih Sawiris.

In recent years, Andermatt has developed into a year-round destination: It features apartment buildings, hotels and chalets, a golf course, and the SkiArena that is connected with the ski area of Disentis. Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis is not only one of the most modern ski areas in Switzerland but also the largest in Central Switzerland, with slopes from Andermatt to Sedrun and Disentis in the canton of Grisons. Further apartment buildings and hotels will be built in the coming years.

What is Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis

Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis is the ski area around the Oberalp Pass in the cantons of Uri and Grisons. Bergbahnen Disentis AG and the SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun together offer over 180 km of pistes. The ski area with assured snow cover reaches up to an altitude of 3,000 metres above sea level. The ski season lasts for seven months, from November to May.

The SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun also operates 13 mountain catering operations and, in the village of Andermatt, a hotel, two restaurants, and a bakery, as well as the Snowsports School Andermatt. The SkiArena is a subsidiary of Andermatt Swiss Alps, which in turn rents out around 1,200 beds in all categories and operates the golf course in Andermatt.

Bergbahnen Disentis operates the entire mountain catering service in the Disentis area, as well as the two specialist ski and bike shops there. In addition, Bergbahnen Disentis rents out over 800 beds in all categories, both in holiday apartments and hotels.

Which areas does Andermatt Responsible cover?

Andermatt Responsible covers the five areas of Mobility, Gastronomy, Real Estate, Energy and Outdoor. In concrete terms, this means:

Mobility: The offering of options for travelling to, from, and in Andermatt helps to reduce CO2.

Gastronomy: The catering operations of Andermatt Swiss Alps avoid food waste and plastic waste and consciously use regional and local products. PET bottles and plastic are avoided wherever possible.

Real Estate: Andermatt Swiss Alps attaches great importance to sustainability in its construction, and all buildings are built to the Minergie standard. Heat is supplied by Heizwerk Gotthard AG in a climate-neutral manner. Heat from this wood-chip-fired power plant and waste heat from armasuisse are used to heat parts of Andermatt and Göschenen, including all buildings of Andermatt Swiss Alps, in a heat network.

Energy: The Andermatt Swiss Alps properties are powered with 100% renewable energy from the Gotthard region.

Outdoor: The winter sports facilities of the SkiArena operate using 100% electricity from renewable energy sources. Guests in the SkiArena and in Andermatt are informed about the measures with the aim of raising their awareness of the issue, as well as about the possibilities for contributing to CO2 reduction during their stay in Andermatt.

What has Andermatt Responsible achieved so far?

In the first year of the partnership, the SkiArena and POW developed solutions for travel to the ski area that save resources. They also implemented measures relating to catering operations on the mountain and to imparting knowledge to guests. The focus on the areas of mobility and food is due to the fact that these are the second and third largest sources of CO2 emissions in Switzerland.

What measures to impart knowledge have been implemented so far?

We use brochures and flyers to impart knowledge about climate change to our guests and to give them pointers on how to ski more sustainably. Flyers with climate tips are available at all ticket offices, and these tips can also be found on posters throughout the entire ski area.

How has the commitment to CO2 reduction in tourism been perceived so far?

In the spring of 2019, POW Switzerland was awarded the CIPRA Switzerland Prize for Sustainability in Tourism for the measures implemented in partnership with the SkiArena.