No sustainability, no wellness

There’s no doubt: wellness is the buzzword right now. The market has never been so hot. Just open social media and you’ll see brands, new influencers, and words like wellness club, wellness experiences, wellness concierge and wellness tourism popping up everywhere.

This wave makes sense — we live in a world on the edge. Wellness stopped being a luxury and became a necessity. But here’s the paradox: while we promote vitality and relaxation, are we paying attention to the environmental and social costs behind this promise?

The contradictions of wellness

When we picture wellness, we think of someone glowing with vitality: a healthy body and a serene face radiating their best self. But that’s just the visible layer of a much more complex reality.

It’s worth asking:

• Can we talk about healthy food when the soil is poisoned by harmful agricultural practices?

• Can we talk about physical and mental balance if the air we breathe makes our body sick?

• Can we talk about longevity if our choices compromise future generations?

Studies from the FAO and WHO show that the lack of sustainable practices threatens human well-being: degraded soil, air pollution, water crises, and climate change that already intensifies droughts, floods, and heat waves.

The Earth Overshoot Day organization makes it clear: in just seven months we use up the resources the planet would take a whole year to regenerate. We’re demanding almost double what Earth can naturally provide to sustain our lifestyle. Scary, but true.

In this context, have you ever stopped to wonder if your açaí bowl, your quiet moment in the sauna, or even that ice bath has already been added to the tab of natural resources the Earth can’t replenish?

So here’s the paradox: a wellness industry that sells relaxation and vitality, but often ignores the environmental costs silently eroding collective health. In the end, the truth is undeniable: there’s no wellness on a sick planet.

Wellness is an ecosystem

According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness is not just the absence of disease, but “the active pursuit of choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.” This state goes beyond the physical: it includes mental, emotional, social, and environmental dimensions.

Wellness, therefore, is not just individual — it’s collective. If the foundation that sustains us — fertile soil, clean air, safe water, and healthy communities — is not balanced, individuals won’t be either. We are human beings sharing a planet that sustains us. Which means there can be no coherent wellness practice that ignores the impact we generate on others and on the environment around us.

Sustainability as a wellness pillar

Here’s the turning point: sustainability is not the same as “being eco-friendly.” It’s not just swapping plastic straws for bamboo ones or picking only vegan products. Copy-paste “green” solutions are not enough — it’s about awareness.

Sustainability means meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It’s about ensuring wellness in ways that are smarter, less harmful, and more respectful to life on Earth. It means recognizing that the planet is not an endless source of resources, but an ecosystem we’re part of — and its balance defines our survival. In short: sustainability is about responsibility.

Discourse and practice must align. “Eco-friendly” marketing disconnected from operations is not enough. We need systemic thinking: from supply chains to social impact, from resource use to the narratives we share with clients.

Brazil’s role on the sustainability map

Brazil holds a unique place in global sustainability. No other country shelters such natural wealth:

• Amazon: the largest tropical rainforest on Earth, vital for climate balance.

• Cerrado: cradle of waters, feeding South America’s largest river basins.

• Pantanal: the largest wetland on the planet, a sanctuary of biodiversity.

Each biome plays an essential ecological role — interconnected and indispensable for Earth’s balance.

But Brazil’s greatness is not only in numbers. For centuries, Indigenous peoples and traditional communities have developed knowledge that reveals a deep relationship between body, mind, and environment. Their wisdom teaches care, healing, and respect practices that resonate strongly with today’s concept of sustainability.

Because here, green and yellow are not just the colors of our flag, but living symbols of a natural and cultural richness that must be celebrated, respected, and, above all, preserved.

Spas as ambassadors of purpose

Spas were born to spread wellness. And precisely for this reason, they must take on an even greater role: becoming ambassadors of sustainability.

That doesn’t mean turning treatments into eco lectures. It means integrating conscious choices into daily operations:

• reduce waste

• value local communities

• choose responsible suppliers

• optimize water and energy use

A sustainable spa turns its operation into a manifesto of coherence. More than offering relaxation, it teaches by example and inspires the entire industry to raise its standards.

Change starts with mindset

Even today, many companies treat sustainability as a checklist: reduce plastic, change lightbulbs, add a green slogan to the website. But it’s not about spreadsheets — it’s about organizational culture.

Conscious leaders inspire teams. Well-trained professionals communicate clearly to clients the importance of choices made. Without this education, even the best initiatives remain invisible.

Sustainability is everyone’s duty

The responsibility for sustainability doesn’t lie with spas alone, but with everyone who makes up the wellness movement: gyms, hotels, resorts, clubs, studios, clinics, brands, and professionals. True well-being can only be sustained when it’s embraced as a collective commitment — not just about the choices I make for myself, but about how those choices directly impact others and the planet.

It’s important to remember: sustainability may be seen as a trend, but it is far from a passing fad. It is an essential condition for the wellness sector to exist with integrity and responsibility.