The equipment, products and even building materials used inside and around standard fitness facilities and gyms have their own environmental implications - whether making a form of resources used in the manufacturing items or even the basic making of the building.

To reduce your environmental impact in this area, the easiest thing you can do is try to source locally and learn about the ways of creating a better, more eco friendly space for your strength and health to grow, to learn about eco materials and also what is eco friendly material actually.

What do eco friendly materials mean?

The most literal explanation for eco friendly materials is earth and air friendly or - not harmful to the environment and contributing to green living or practices that help conserving resources like water and energy. Most eco friendly materials and products also prevent bad contributions to air, water and land pollution.

Are most eco friendly materials for gym sustainable?

This is not true. Although most eco friendly materials don't cause harm to the environment through their use many of them do not accomplish the “sustainability” part. For example, wood, as a part of the natural environment is technically an eco friendly material. There are no chemicals that are harmful to the environment inside of wood.

However, sustainability refers to a more futuristic impact that the material has on the environment. Chopping down trees faster than the rate of replanting them, makes the wood collecting and selling not sustainable.

To be considered sustainable, the material must be considered renewable, and that is why recycled materials are considered sustainable.

The use of sustainable materials isn't the only thing that makes one building or gym sustainable. The building must also be designed to conserve water, energy, and renewable materials.

For our insights on sustainable gym flooring see here.

How to create an eco friendly fitness centre?

In recent years, environmentalism and environmentally friendly materials (or being ‘green’) have become a rapidly growing area of interest for both customers and businesses across a broad range of industries, especially associated with fitness and health.

This is largely due to the increased awareness and guilt that consumers are experiencing when they hear about the impact their actions are having on the surrounding environment, and how it resonates on their own wellbeing.

To be part of the growing eco friendly gym business you have to take into consideration the environmental impact of all aspects of running a gym - from the choice of soaps in the bathrooms, the way of choosing complimentary towels and other clothes or and even the suppliers you look up to source the equipment and supplements from.

1. Sourcing and Supplying eco friendly materials for gym equipment

To reduce the polluting impact on your gym area the easiest thing you can do is try to source locally, instead of ordering your equipment from overseas. This will help in decreasing the amount of fuel needed to transport your equipment and subsequently will impact the environment less.

If you have no local alternatives, consider ordering eco friendly gym equipment from one supplier and asking them to pack all your items together.

Sourcing from nature as a form of eco friendly equipment fo the gym

An all-natural exercise set forgoes the use of metal, plastic and rubber as typical gym equipment in favour of renewables and ecologically non-harmful materials. Inspired by Scandinavian nature and design, natural fitness equipment brings harmony to your gym and body.

Natural indoor gym space is created for maximum health benefits and as a way to encourage fitness enthusiasts and staff to stay active and de-stress throughout the benefits of green environment.

Collection of carefully chosen eco friendly gym materials and eco friendly equipment starts with two main types of exercise equipment, such as cardio equipment and strength equipment:

• Sandbags, 

• Natural fibre climbing ropes, 

• Sustainable wood wall bars, 

• Handmade push-up bars and lifting logs, 

• Vintage leather medicine balls,

• Sustainable cork foot massage balls, 

• Wood gymnastics rings and various other ‘workout toys’ to encourage movement-based training.

Opting for smaller spaces

Transforming a smaller fitness office into mindfulness and natural movement facility is much applicable if you are on a limited budget. It is easier to boast and incorporate natural interior design elements and equipment, such as:

• Sustainable materials

• Air-purifying plants

• Forest aromatherapy and sounds

• Natural colours and greenery 

Biofit designs natural fitness facility with textured moss-like carpets made of recycled material, bamboo camouflaged speakers, Japanese style kokedama moss balls, acoustic moss ceiling panels, a giant Swedish forest wall mural and wellness lighting to boost energy by day while not disrupting sleep after dark.

Most adequate substitutes for plastic

Plastic is very common in every gym, and it is used to give structure, body and in decorative purposes but is highly polluting. Eco friendly gym materials should be all about being earth-friendly and not harmful to the environment. 

Eco friendly gym design materials and substitutes for plastic will prevent air, water and land pollution, and they come in a variety of fibres that will contribute to green living or practices that help conserve resources like water and energy.

What materials are environmentally friendly?

• Bamboo Fiber and hardwood

• Cork

• Plantation Grown Teak

• Corn Starch Biocompostables

• Hemp

• Soybean Fabric

• Organic Cotton

2. Consumption & Waste

Limiting unnecessary resource consumption and reducing wastage is another area through which you can reduce your club’s environmental impact but also save a large amount of money as well.

Eco friendly gym equipment will usually mean implementing more sustainable fixtures and fittings around the facility. They can be easily installed to save power or water on all the devices. Replacing tubes or other regular bulbs with LED lights is also another popular idea of focusing your club into an eco friendly gym with eco friendly gym equipment.

Benefits of the use of eco friendly materials for gym equipment

There are numerous benefits of becoming a green fitness club or eco gym that uses eco materials, outside of saving the planet from unnecessary environmental damage:

1. Gaining a better brand image by promoting environmentally friendly materials and responsible behaviour and being able to utilize eco labels in your advertising materials.

2. Turning into a sustainable gym with eco materials also means becoming more appealing to the audience and subsequently increasing the potential for attracting more members willing to take good care of their health by protecting the nature and spaces where they train.

3. Saving money on your regular running costs (reducing the number of towels being washed, fitting water-saving showerheads, LED light bulbs can lead to you saving big money when you receive your power and water bills).

Exercising in the natural environment to boost well-being 

It is clear that a generic metal and plastic solution found in an urban setting is not going to be appropriate in the years to come. We need to integrate the principles of conservation, eco materials and sustainability into the gym design, keeping visual disruption to the landscape to a minimum and impacting as little as possible on the local natural environment.

Starting with materials and eco friendly gym equipment, we decided to source the wood, leather and natural fibres to blend with the natural landscape but provide all the necessary “gym-like” assets. 

Metal fixtures are being kept to a minimum and the foundations used the traditional technique of tamping, which compacts the soil to support the uprights and negates the need for poured concrete. 

The use of eco materials is very obvious to find when you are decided to take responsibility for the nature around you. Eco materials are our best ally in remaining healthy and vivacious in faster and more hardworking times we live in.