Walk the talk

Caring about the environment, the entire EPFL campus including the EPFL Innovation Park has maintained its certification by the Nature & Economy Foundation for its natural facilities promoting biodiversity, since 2002. Green areas are landscaped in a natural way using indigenous vegetation. No insecticides or pesticides are used and a nesting site for swallows, has also been erected in the Park. Swallows are constantly foraging for insects to feed their young and their presence helps reduce the number of mosquitoes and other insects that could affect the green spaces.

The EPFL Innovation Park offers recycling opportunities for glass, paper, cardboard, plastic, PET, electronics, printer cartridges, neon lights and coffee capsules. Our ambition is to reduce the amount of waste produced as well as to further increase the recycling rate of the remainder.

Electricity:

The Park’s electricity is currently 50% hydroelectric and 50% photovoltaic, but an ambitious project to switch to even greener, 100% photovoltaic energy is planned

Heating system:

The heating system is centralized with the EPFL campus. Since 2021, following major renovation work on the heating plant, four new state-of-the-art heat pumps with a total thermal capacity of 24 MW have been installed. The heat source is taken from Lake Geneva. The water from the lake is pumped to heat pumps. The heat pumps extract energy from the water and convert it, through a thermodynamic cycle into heat that can be used to heat buildings

Lighting:

We are systematically replacing our lighting systems with LEDs, which will drastically reduce our energy consumption.

‍

Ventilation system:

The ventilation system is being replaced. In Building B, for example, the installation of variable motors has reduced ventilation consumption by 20%.

At the Park, we are aware that we cannot achieve our sustainability ambitions alone and that we need to engage our partners and suppliers in our continuous improvement process. We therefore request that they sign and respect our Partner Engagement.

As part of the well-being initiatives supported by the EPFL Innovation Park, all employees of the Park can obtain a reasonably priced access card tot he sports club "La Villa des Sports" directly from its front desk. The working environment is further enhanced by the outdoor amenities on offer such as a ping pong table, street workout equipment and spaces for running or cycling by the lake. Employees can also opt to join one of the many sports clubs - tennis, football, basketball etc. There’s something for everyone!

The EPFL Innovation Park is also aligned with the “Campus Piéton” plan (Pedestrian campus) set by the EPFL. 17 trees were recently planted on our site. The concept is to plant trees over the next few years to strengthen the wooded areas in and around the EPFL. Collaborators of the Park can as well enjoy spending time outdoor during their lunch break when the time allows and use the various picnic tables around the buildings.

EPFL has made a strong commitment towards sustainable catering by shortening the supply chain and decreasing the carbon footprint, reducing food waste through initiatives like Too Good To Go and making it local and seasonal- at least half of the fruit and vegetables on sale in the catering points on campus are seasonal and produced in Switzerland. All the meat is sourced in Switzerland and our healthy and vegetarian food offers have been expanded.

Le Puur Restaurant is located at the heart of the EPFL Innovation Park and follows a set of sustainable specifications in line with the EPFL strategy. For instance, having a full vegetarian offer once a week, or providing premium sustainable coffee at their coffee corner.

As part of our ongoing commitment to the well-being of people working in the Park, vending machines have been installed offering a variety of snacks from local producers. These products have been selected according to environmental, qualitative and health criteria and priced fairly so that everyone can enjoy the experience.