- Home
- The museum
- The environmental commitments of the Musée de la Lavande Luberon in Provence.
The environmental commitments of the Musée de la Lavande Luberon in Provence.
A strong environmental commitment in the heart of the Provence
The Musée de la Lavande Luberon is firmly committed to protecting the environment. A family-run museum in Provence, near Gordes and Avignon, it celebrates lavender heritage through a conservatory collection of over 350 authentic pieces, supported by a family of producers spanning five generations and a passionate team of guides.
This approach is built on practical actions: reducing consumption, cutting waste, choosing local partners, and adopting long-lasting solutions. Every step matters, and the museum aims to play a responsible role in its region, in the Luberon.
This commitment is also reflected in the visitor experience: a meaningful, educational visit grounded in reality. For anyone wondering what to do in the Luberon, the museum offers a simple answer: discover a Provençal craft, understand the supply chains, and leave with practical insights.
Our eco-actions at the museum
- Exhibition design & museography: the collection displays remain in place and are also used to recreate spaces (kept canvases and structures). We prioritise durable, modular installations to limit equipment replacement and avoid temporary exhibitions that consume large amounts of materials.
- Leaflets: quantities are aligned with real needs and adjusted annually, working with a local distributor based in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (around 10 km), via the Bienvenue en Provence association.
- Printing: leaflets are printed in Apt (around 20 km) using vegetable-based inks and the Imprim’Vert label, with a company recognised for sustainable business practices in the Luberon. Printing is carried out without chemicals or alcohol.
- Batteries & accessories: rechargeable batteries are used for remote controls and the lighting elements of the sensory workshop.
- Shared distribution: tourist leaflets are delivered using a single vehicle, through partner networks (Bienvenue en Provence, Provence Escapades).
Accessibility
- Agreement with the regional Zou public transport network, with a stop directly in front of the museum, to encourage travel by public transport.
- Accueil Vélo programme: installation of a dedicated bike shelter in the car park (September 2024).
- On-site accommodation available for up to five employees.
- Service providers recruited as locally as possible to reduce travel.
Facilities
- LED lighting across the entire site.
- Restrooms with push-tap (auto-stop) faucets and automatic LED lighting.
- Water-saving aerators installed in visitor restrooms.
- Cleaning products purchased in large containers: the same spray bottles are refilled and reused.
- On-site sorting: bins for visitors and staff, separating non-recyclable waste from recyclable packaging.
The museum garden
- Drip irrigation, used only during drought periods.
- Soil covered with BRF (ramial chipped wood): helps retain moisture, reduces fertiliser use, and supports soil life (micro-organisms, worms, insects, fungi).
- Mainly Mediterranean plants with low water requirements.
- Watering only via drip irrigation or watering cans—no hoses or sprinklers.
Eco-actions in the museum shop
- Supplies purchased annually (shopping bags, ticket rolls, display supports) to reduce transport-related emissions and energy use.
- Shopping bags made from recycled paper, produced in Marseille. Standard supplier formats are used to avoid bespoke sizes produced in Asia.
- Gift wrapping on request: no pre-made gift boxes, no thermoformed packaging. Gift boxing is done in-store and the ribbon can be reused.
- Ticketing: software that limits printing, with on-demand issuance (introduced in 2022).
- Reusable in-store information displays (POS) from one year to the next, with removable parts to update visuals.
- Refillable tester bottles supplied from bulk stock.
Products available in the shop
- Made in France, with recyclable tubes and packaging also manufactured in France.
- Fine lavender essential oil (AOP / PDO) produced around 45 km from the museum shop.
- Skincare products mostly certified organic and eco-friendly (Ecocert, COSMOS / Ecocert standards), made and packaged in Coustellet (around 20 metres from the shop).
- Perfumery products made in Vallauris (around 220 km from the museum).
- Shop supplies carried on foot from the warehouse located just a few metres from the museum (around 90% of products).
- Formalised waste sorting, with regular monitoring.
A meaningful visit in Provence
The Musée de la Lavande Luberon is one of Provence’s cultural experiences that connect heritage with practical action. On site, discovery becomes truly engaging: curated routes, conversations, and occasionally workshops, depending on the programme. Together, they create an immersive experience that respects the region.
Book your visit to the Musée de la Lavande Luberon and enjoy a responsible discovery in the heart of the Luberon. For private bookings or tailored group quotes, the museum team is here to help.
To reduce emissions linked to its activity, the family-run organisation prioritises short supply chains: recyclable packaging made in France, production carried out within the wider Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, and most often within the Luberon.
These actions evolve according to needs and opportunities, case by case, with one constant goal: lowering impact while maintaining quality, consistency and traceability.
The family lavender estate: farming and biodiversity
The family lavender estate allows nature to thrive across large areas of woodland and scrubland. Fine “population” lavender, an endemic variety, is grown from seed without irrigation, using rotations that include green manure. Distillation is carried out on site. The transition to organic farming was completed in February 2024.
Château du Bois is located in the Vaucluse mountains, in Lagarde-d’Apt, at 1,100 metres above sea level. Across 330 hectares, 110 hectares are dedicated to carefully managed fine lavender cultivation. The remaining 220 hectares (woodland and scrubland) form a biodiversity reserve, with no hunting.
The Coustellet laboratory, next to the museum
The museum also relies on a discreet but essential asset: the Coustellet laboratory, housed in the building adjoining the Musée de la Lavande. This in-house production strengthens the environmental consistency of the approach, while supporting the overall museum experience.
- Less transport: on-site manufacturing significantly reduces the carbon footprint (products no longer need to be made in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence).
- Small batches & quality control: production is planned as closely as possible to demand, reducing waste and losses.
- Very fresh products: the shop offers recently made skincare, with controlled stock rotation.
- COSMOS certification: certification is progressing across almost the entire range, under a demanding standard covering environmental criteria, eco-responsibility and fair trade.
- A complete chain “from seed to finished product”: fine “population” lavender from the family estate “Château du Bois” is the starting point. Processing, cosmetic manufacturing and packaging all happen within the same geographical area, in Provence, at the heart of the Luberon.
Partner choices and manufacturing: a proximity-first model
Château du Bois Provence works with French companies as close as possible, paying attention to environmental and social impact. European suppliers may be used when a product or service cannot be sourced in France. No sourcing is carried out in the United States or Asia.
- Cartons: a French partner certified FSC®, Print Ethic®, PEFC® and Imprim’Vert®.
- Paper and leaflets: printed in Apt using vegetable-based inks, with Imprim’Vert® and Entreprendre durablement en Luberon labels, without alcohol or chemicals.
- Tubes: a supplier from Haute-Savoie producing eco-responsible tubes made from sugarcane waste (a renewable plant-based material). Ongoing research aims to develop plant-based polyethylene solutions.
- Fragrances: an artisan perfumer in Vallauris, with French expertise passed down since 1930.
- Carbon footprint: reduced thanks to regional and national sourcing, within a Made in France approach.
Made in France has remained a core commitment for over 30 years. Products travel very little, as most partners are based in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, like the museum. This choice also provides a clear framework: partners, subcontractors and collaborators operate under French jurisdiction, with strong social protections and strict regulations.