Sustainability Within the Massage Therapy Profession

 by David Malone, February 1, 2025

In response to both consumer demand and climate science, sustainability has become more of a main focus throughout various industries, including massage therapy.

Today, more and more massage therapists and massage therapy product companies are striving to optimize their sustainability efforts. For massage therapists, part of this work focuses on the sustainability of purchased products and materials, as well as the day-to-day efforts to decrease energy usage.

Meanwhile, massage therapy companies have begun focusing on sourcing eco-friendly materials and working closely with sustainability partners. As the demand for environmentally conscious solutions continues to rise, the integration of sustainable practices in massage therapy underscores a commitment to health, wellness and the planet.

How Are Massage Therapy Product Companies Practicing Sustainability?

Many companies in the massage therapy space that we talked with have placed a large emphasis on sustainability.

Earthlite, a manufacturer of massage tables and other massage supplies, for example, focuses on using environmentally friendly materials and processes whenever possible, and minimizes waste and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the production of all of their products.

According to Melissa Mazzola, Earthlite Director of Business Development, some specific measures the company has taken include:

• E-waste recycling of electronics, batteries, toner and hot towel cabinets
  
  
• Use of a local, licensed disposal company that keeps disposal in state
  
  
• Sends paint and stain cleaning water to a recycling facility for solvent distillation
  
  
• Replaced fluorescent bulbs with low voltage LED throughout their factory

Virox Technologies, the developer of Prevention disinfectants for spas and salons, has a different approach to sustainability that the company has tailored to its own product line. “Our commitment is rooted in the goal of reducing the environmental footprint associated with essential products such as disinfectants,” says Dan Woolford, senior director, sales and marketing, Virox Technologies. “At the core of our sustainability strategy is the engineering of disinfectants featuring safe, natural and biodegradable active ingredients.”

To this end, accelerated hydrogen peroxide (AHP) powers Prevention products. AHP is a safe, effective, and sustainable disinfectant technology where hydrogen peroxide, the active ingredient, is able to break down into oxygen and water with no negative impact on the environment. All Prevention disinfectants are non-irritating to eyes and skin, do not emit VOCs, are made with biodegradable ingredients, and have the EPA’s lowest available toxicity rating.

At Performance Health, a company focusing on massage cremes, lotions, gels, exfoliators and essential oils, reducing greenhouse gas emissions is priority number one.

“We have set our targets to achieve net zero for scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emission categories, supported by the standards of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBCi),” says Darren Umbers, managing director (ANZ) and head of sustainability (global), at Performance Health. “Our Carbon Reduction plan was finalized at the end of 2023 and we are targeting a net zero date of 2050 for all categories, relative to our 2022 baseline.”

This plan includes a goal of a 4% reduction in GHG for 2024 globally.

Sustainability Partners in the Massage Therapy Space

Many of the sustainability efforts these companies make have led them to partnerships with nonprofits and groups outside of the massage therapy space.

“We will remain sponsors and supporters of environmental and humanitarian organizations such as Trees for the Future, Sustainable Harvest, the Green Spa Network and the Red Cross,” says Mazzola. “Through our Trees for the Future partnership, we can globally offset our carbon footprint each year. Trees for the Future aims to ‘break the cycle of hunger, poverty and environmental destruction’ by training farmers how to care for their land and build up their communities and landscapes.”

Similar to Trees for the Future, Sustainable Harvest International is an environmental nonprofit that partners with smallholder farmers to adopt regenerative practices that nourish both people and the planet.

On the disinfectant product side, Virox became the first chemical manufacturer to earn LEED Gold certification for manufacturing chemicals in a healthy, efficient and cost-effective “green” building. “Furthermore, our adherence to the Environmental Management System—ISO 14001, certified by the British Standards Institution, underscores our holistic approach to sustainable operations,” Woolford says.

In an effort to reach its GHG goals, Performance Health has partnered with consulting firm Axia. “We partnered with Axia consulting in 2023 to research and inform our plan creation, undertake our first GHG audit and scope and procure the tools required to monitor, measure and plan reductions to our GHG emissions,” Umbers says.

How Can Small Massage Practices Be More Sustainable?

According to AMTA’s 2023 Massage Profession Research Report, 78% of massage therapists describe themselves as sole practitioners, and it is important to note that for many reasons, efforts around sustainability will look different for small businesses than large companies.

A 2021 study¹ explored how small businesses can better pursue sustainability, noting that while there has been abundant research on large corporations in regards to their sustainability plans, there is still a lack of clarity on how small businesses can effectively form sustainability strategies.

The study, which focused on two small craft breweries, created a detailed account of how a combination of planned and emergent actions enable and are mobilized through individual and collective actions to form a sustainability strategy. The study emphasized the human agent in the sustainability strategy, as “collective agency and interpersonal relationships are central in forming strategic sustainability orientation.”

Researchers also noted: “Understanding sustainability strategy as a collective and distributed process offers a productive avenue for small businesses to purposefully engage with the planned and emergent dimensions of action in support of transformative change.”

Sustainability is truly an effort that depends on both collective and individual action. So, what can massage therapists who own small businesses do?

The key is understanding that even small efforts can make a big difference. “By adopting simple daily practices, massage therapists can easily enhance their practice’s sustainability,” says Woolford. “Be open to learning and training your staff on new environmentally friendly strategies and techniques. Use client communication material within your spa and practice, and share your eco-friendly practices on your website or social to spread the word.”

In other words, build sustainability strategies into your daily schedule and share those strategies with both your employees and clients.

What Should Massage Therapists Look for When Purchasing?

One aspect of sustainability that can quickly turn into a head-spinning endeavor is purchasing products that are both sustainable and responsibly sourced. Fortunately, there are some quick ways for massage therapists to ensure the products they are buying meet the sustainability standards they’ve set for themselves and their practice.

A company’s website is usually a great place to start. Often, companies will have online space dedicated to sharing their sustainability goals, practices and ongoing efforts. In this space, visitors will often find names of any sustainability partners the company works with, seals they have been awarded, as well as other relevant sustainable practice information the company wants to share with consumers.

“Your suppliers will be your scope 3 emissions. We know not all will be able to share data and progress with you, but encourage them to get there over time because this should not be optional,” Umber encourages. “Select suppliers, when you can, that are making progress and can substantiate it for you.”

There are also certain things to look for that are product-specific. For example, when buying a massage table or chair, consider finding out where any wood used in manufacturing is sourced. “Look for massage tables made from wood certified by organizations like Forest Stewardship Council,” Mazzola says. “This ensures the wood comes from responsibly managed forests.”

Sanitation products, on the other hand, have a different set of benchmarks. “Massage therapists should ensure that their chosen disinfectant is sustainable and well suited for the task at hand,” Woolford explains, including realistic contact times, ease of use and a favorable safety profile.

Low contact times and ease of use are important because they signal less product is required for results. Think of it this way: A cleaning product with a contact time of 10 minutes is going to require multiple re-applications, meaning more product will be needed to maintain results.

Similarly, ease of use is important because some products require a pre-clean step that will double the amount of chemical used, resulting in unnecessary environmental impact in comparison to one-step products, according to Woolford.

A key to remember is that becoming more sustainable doesn’t happen overnight and is instead a continual process. “Most companies in our space are at the beginning of their ESG journey, many have not started yet but are contemplating how best to begin. No one business yet has all of the bases covered to perfection,” says Umber. “However, a good place to start would be to seek partners who acknowledge the challenge, and have a positive documented position on how they intend to live up to their responsibility, which is lived in the company’s day-to-day actions.”

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References

1. Luederitz, C, Caniglia G, Colbert B, & Burch S. “How do small businesses pursue sustainability? The role of collective agency for integrating planned and emergent strategy making.” Business Strategy and the Environment. 2021.