Life Time will eliminate plastic water bottles at its fitness clubs by Labor Day
Chanhassen-based fitness club chain Life Time will stop selling plastic water bottles at its locations starting on Labor Day, the company announced Friday.
Chanhassen-based Life Time will replace the plastic bottles at more than 150 locations in North America with aluminum bottles, according to the announcement, in the process eliminating the sale of more than 1.6 million plastic bottles of water annually.
The company cited statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency that state less than 10% of plastic bottles in the U.S. end up recycled, while more than half of aluminum bottles are recycled.
"Environmental stewardship is something we're deeply focused on at Life Time in keeping with our healthy people, healthy planet, healthy way of life philosophy," Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi said in a statement.
"As part of this journey, we'll continue eliminating single-use plastics from our destinations, while remaining focused on energy use reduction through the healthy design and operation of our Life Time athletic resorts."
In addition to eliminating plastic bottles, Life Time will also offer swimsuit bags made from recycled ocean plastic in its locker rooms, paper mouthwash cups, cotton swabs made without plastic and compostable containers and cutlery at its cafes.
In April, the company announced its sustainability goals over the next five years, including plans to reduce gas and electric consumption by 20%, and water consumption by 40%.
If you're looking to be more eco-friendly, Ecowatch.com suggests getting a reusable water bottle to reduce plastic and metal waste. You can find its suggested products here.