Swimming pools don’t get much press in these times of drought and climate change, but Desjoyaux, the world leader in the sector, based in La Fouillouse, is trying to combat what it calls “pool bashing”, by demonstrating its efforts to reduce its environmental impact.
A swimming pool in the garden – a dream for some, ecological nonsense for others. In these times of drought and climate change, private swimming pools no longer meet with unanimous approval.
While the number of swimming pools continues to grow (22,550 in the Loire département, as we explained in our interactive map), some communes are now banning the construction of new pools, notably in the Var and Pyrénées-Orientales regions.
“We innovate to reduce our environmental impact”.
Pool bashing, according to Jean Louis Desjoyaux, head of the world’s leading pool manufacturer, whose only factory is in La Fouillouse. “People like to bash us because we use water. But in France, swimming pools only account for 0.15% of water consumption. In my opinion, this is a false accusation being made against us”, says the CEO of the Desjoyaux empire.
And the Loire-based giant defends its efforts. “Already in the 1990s, we began to reduce the size of our pools compared to our competitors, firstly to reduce the cost of a pool for our customers. Similarly, our standard pump uses less electricity than the average. We’ve been trying to solve all these problems for a long time now,” explains Nicolas Desjoyaux, the company’s son, heir and deputy managing director.
Jean-Louis Desjoyaux is all about recycling.
Innovation rhymes with recycling
“In a few months’ time, the linings of our pools will be made with a large proportion of recycled plastic, from the waste of the Saint-Étienne metropolitan area. Tomorrow, your yoghurt pot may be transformed into a majestic swimming pool”, ironizes the Loire CEO.
Similarly, many other plastic components used in Desjoyaux swimming pools are designed to be made partly from recycled materials: screws, pumps, etc.
The result of massive investment in the La Fouillouse plant. And the company will be investing a further 58 million euros in developing the site over the next 24 months.
Will all this be enough to restore the reputation of pool specialists? Not sure, given the image of luxury that clings to the skin of swimming pools. So is the private pool a middle-class pastime? Not at all, according to the Desjoyaux family: “We’ve been doing everything we can to democratize the pool for as long as we’ve been in business. The model we sell most is also the least expensive, and it costs 17,500 euros”, insists Nicolas Desjoyaux.
Article published in Le Progrès
Martin Levisse