Our contribution to Zermatt.

For us, sustainability is not a short-term trend, but a responsibility that Tradition Julen has carried for many years. For us, it is not about grand words, but about tangible solutions, regional cycles and the mindful use of our resources.

Whether in our hotels, in agriculture or in energy generation: we are continually developing our businesses and trying to reduce our ecological footprint – with solutions that suit Zermatt and our family.

Our hotels

Modern technology. Fewer resources. Greater responsibility.

Our hotels are technically up to a modern and energy-efficient standard. This includes, among other things:

LED lighting and energy-efficient appliances
modern ventilation systems with heat recovery
efficient heating systems and intelligent building controls
cooling systems with heat recovery
electric hotel taxis

And we are keeping at it: we are continuously investing in our properties to use energy and resources even more efficiently and gradually reduce our ecological footprint

Agriculture

Our cycle in the mountains.

Agriculture has been part of our family for generations. For us, it is far more than the production of food: it creates regional cycles, cares for the landscape and connects people, animals and nature.

Sheep farming

Tradition, animal welfare and biodiversity.

Our Valais Blacknose sheep spend the summer on the alps around Zermatt. Through summer grazing, they help to maintain and keep the valuable alpine meadows open. Biodiversity and native wildlife also benefit from this.

Grazing also helps to reduce the risk of surface fires and thus preserve the valuable protective forests.

Our cycle also comes full circle with the manure: together with other organic waste, it is used in our biogas plant for energy generation. The fertiliser produced in the process then goes back onto the meadows and returns valuable phosphorus to the soil, among other things.

And the animal itself also deserves our respect. We rely on species-appropriate, extensive husbandry, with animal welfare at its heart. When we use meat from our sheep, it is important to us to make use of as much of the whole animal as possible – from the meat to the wool and fleece, right through to the horns.

That is how we understand responsibility: the animal gives us valuable resources – and we treat them with care.

Dairy cows

From mountain meadow to plate.

Our cows provide valuable mountain milk. In summer, this is used to make traditional alpine cheese, while in winter our own Tradition Julen Raclettekäse is produced in Zermatt.

The milk is processed into cheese, yoghurt and other products in our Matterhorn-Käserei in Zermatt.

Short distances, regional processing and products from Zermatt: this is how our mountain milk becomes a living piece of tradition.

Eringer cows

Zermatt tradition with a strong character.

The distinctive Eringer cows are part of agriculture in the Valais and therefore also part of our regional tradition. While they graze on the alps in summer, they help to care for the landscape and enjoy a natural, extensive form of husbandry.

At the end of their lives, they provide our restaurants with valuable, regional meat. This allows us to offer our guests meat from our own agriculture while also enabling short transport routes and the fullest possible use of our animals.

For us, this is also part of sustainability: we value the animal during its life – and use what it gives us with respect and appreciation.

Biogas plant

Turning residual materials into energy.

Since 2014, the biogas plant initiated by Paul Julen has been an important part of our sustainable cycle.

Each year, around 1'600 tonnes of bio-organic waste are processed here – mainly food waste from tourism – together with the manure from our cows and sheep.

Biogas is created through fermentation. This is used in an engine that drives a generator and thus produces electricity – enough for a calculated amount of around 350 Swiss households.

But the cycle does not end there: after fermentation, a valuable biological fertiliser remains. This is spread again on the fields in Zermatt and partly in the Rhone Valley.

A cycle that makes sense.

Food leftovers + manure → biogas → electricity → fertiliser → back onto the fields

What would be waste elsewhere becomes energy and valuable fertiliser for us.

For us, sustainability is a journey.

We are convinced that sustainability begins where responsibility is taken – for nature, for animals, for the region and for future generations.

That is why we do not want to be perfect, but to become a little better every day. With our hotels, our agriculture and our regional cycles, we want to help ensure that Zermatt remains a special place for generations to come.

Tradition Julen – rooted in Zermatt. Responsible for tomorrow.