NEW LIFE: fit for a circular future

The NEW LIFE exhibition space at FSB 2025 in Hall 10.2, D084, had plenty in store for visitors, including a NEW LIFE circular economy trail. Trade visitors were able to test various floor coverings made from recycled materials for themselves on a 17 metre long course and see the quality and versatility for themselves.

At the stand, the advantages, opportunities and possibilities offered by recycling used tyres into high-quality products for the sports and fitness industry were presented by NEW LIFE partners. 

There was a focus on the environmental and economic advantages, opportunities and possibilities of the circular economy in general and of high-quality fitness products made from granulated tyre rubber in particular. The various stages, as well as the opportunities and possibilities of recycling used tyres into high-quality sports and fitness products, were presented via video clips and relevant exhibits along a circular trail. The stand floor was laid with rubber mats and rubber tiles made from granulated tyre rubber so that visitors could experience the advantages of this sustainable flooring for themselves.

How green is training in Germany? How sustainable is the sports and fitness industry? To find out, the NEW LIFE initiative, together with Koelnmesse, surveyed operators of fitness studios and sports facilities across Germany in March and April 2025. For more than 80 per cent of respondents, sustainability, climate and environmental protection are ‘important’ or ‘very important’. A good half of gym and sports facility operators have already used sustainable products made from recycled materials - primarily sports and fitness flooring (41%), but also impact sound insulation and fall protection surfaces. The industry is therefore on the right track - but there is still room for improvement.

The initial results were published by the NEW LIVE initiative in a press release (.pdf) (only in German language).

All results of the survey were summarised in a white paper and presented at FSB 2025 in October.

The NEW LIFE Circular Economy Education Day took place on 28 October 2025 at Koelnmesse’s Congress Centre East. Vocational colleges teaching gardening, landscaping, sports ground construction, and roofing as well as prospective administrative staff were invited to attend this event and visit the trade fair.

The Circular Economy Education Day, held in the Europasaal in Congress Centre East, opened at 10:00 a.m. on the first day of the trade fair. One of the key events in the programme was the presentation of the results of the NEW LIFE survey on the sustainability of Germany’s sports and fitness industry. Another of the day’s highlights was a talk by Professor Dr Thomas Müller-Kirschbaum entitled “How can companies in the sports and fitness industry be made carbon neutral without undermining their economic viability?”.

Vocational colleges and companies with trainees were able to register to take part in the Circular Economy Education Day and receive free tickets for their classes to visit the trade fair.