What’s in your chalk bag? The environmental cost of climbing chalk

There’s something oddly comforting about the ritual of chalking up. Dipping into that familiar powder, clapping your hands, watching the white cloud drift away before launching into a climb. Chalk is one of climbing’s small constants. But how often do we stop to think about where it comes from… or what it costs?

The unassuming white dust filling your chalk bag may have travelled a long way and left a far heavier environmental footprint than expected. The majority of climbing chalk is mined in China, often with little transparency or sustainability. But, the good news is that alternatives exist, and you can make the decision to choose chalk that doesn’t cost the planet.

Chalk - the basics

After his enrollment in a gymnastics class in 1954, the godfather of bouldering John Gill had no idea his practices would lead to a major revelation in climbing. Once discovering the benefits of chalking up before the rope climb, he realised you may as well chalk up for a climb too. Within a decade, climbers were smearing chalk on their hands worldwide, and the rest is history…

Climbing chalk is primarily made from magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), a mineral which absorbs moisture therefore keeping our hands dry. Perfect, right? Well not exactly. The problems arise with how this magnesium carbonate is sourced, where it’s sourced from and the environmental impacts that are tied to this.

Where does it come from?

Over 70% of the world’s magnesium carbonate is mined in China. Most of that production is concentrated in a small region of Liaoning - an industrial province in northeast China. Only a small handful of mining and processing factories here produce the magnesite, yet the impact is devastating. From above, the region appears to be a ski resort. But the miles upon miles of white smears across the landscape aren’t snow - it’s magnesite dust.