yoga mats : ecoYoga mat
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I care for my ecoYoga mat ?
Let your ecoYoga mat breathe as much as possible, especially if you work a sweat on to it.
The mats wash well in the washing machine through a cool cycle using a small amount of detergent. They will however retain a lot of water. Remove excess amounts by rolling up with a dry towel - the old traditional woollens method!
Dry flat to avoid creasing (though these will eventually smooth out).
Do not put through a tumble dryer.
Equally you can freshen the mat by wiping it down with a soft damp cloth.
Avoid contact with oils.
Store out of direct sunlight.
Why are ecoYoga mats environmental ?
ecoYoga mats are made from entirely natural plant based material. They are PVC free (PVC is a long term pollutant plastic). At the end of the Yoga mat's life they can be composted - making them completely eco-friendly.
Why should i use an environmentally friendly mat ?
Yoga mats have become the major accessory to ones practice and with the ever increasing trend it means millions and millions of mats are out there being bought and disposed. That's a lot of mats in the landfill sites. We believe the postures on your yoga mat are the beginning of a journey to protect and promote the health and well-being of your body and mind. If this inner awareness is awakened one hopes it finds reflection in the external world. Practising on a shiny glossy plastic mat made as cheaply as possible for maximum profit is the antithesis of yoga. It is simple gesture to practice on a mat created with yoga in mind from renewable resources.
Anyway we just thought it would be lovely to be able to practice on something a bit closer to nature, something with aesthetic but still have a good grip! Of course the choice is entirely up to you!
Why do ecoYoga mats cost so much ?
Being made from the highest quality natural materials in the UK and inspecting each mat for quality means our production costs are higher than mass produced German or Chinese mats.
What about fair trade or child labour ?
Our mats are made in the UK. We deliberately chose not to make our mats in China or Taiwan where they would have been cheaper. There are currently no FairTrade standards within the jute or rubber industry. Jute is set to have standards by 2007 end. Our Scottish jute supplier has long family business relationships in India and Bangladesh and works only with government factories where standards can be monitored. They are all ISO-9001 certified.
My ecoYoga mat has an odour. Why is this ?
The base material for our mats is natural rubber baked in an oven during the curing process of manufacture. The Natural mats therefore have an odour of latex when new. This wears off after some time and a good bit of airing after use. Our latest batch of mats has very little natural rubber smell.
Do you have different colours of mats ?
As time goes on we will bring out different colour ranges. We wish to have a core group of colours that will satisfy a broad spectrum of tastes.
I was sold an "eco" yoga mat by another supplier. Is it really "eco"?
The chances are that your mat still contains PVC, an environmentally damaging plastic. There is however much change afoot in the yoga mat world with increased demand for non-plastic goods. We have not yet found any supplier of Yoga mats that conform to our strict standards of ecology.
How long will my ecoYoga mat last?
It really depends on your practice, your environment and how you look after it. The natural rubber is sensitive to sunlight, oils and extreme heat (eg sitting on top a radiator). These all will contribute to the degradation of the material. We have had customers buying their new mats after 18 months happy with its wear.
My mat sheds little pieces and sticks to my clothes. Is this normal?
From time to time this has caused concern for some practitioners. Initial shedding has occured with some mats then stops until much later into the use of the mat. Lycra clothes seem to attract the little rubber particles more than cotton. Again it depends on your practice. We are looking into wear and tear of the mats as time passes and we always need feedback.
Other suppliers sell Eco-tex Yoga mats. What is this ?
Eco-tex (or Oeko-tex) is a private European testing laboratory that asses materials for harmfulness to human skin contact. These Yoga mats are not strictly "environmental" or "ecological". We believe any product that contains PVC cannot claim to be environmental. ecoYoga does not sell any Yoga mats with the Eco-tex certificate.
What is PVC ?
PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride) is an oil based plastic. It is used in many applications such as wiring, flooring, pipes, wallpaper, window frames, doors and food packaging and is very cheap.
What is rubber or latex ?
Rubber and Latex is the substance skillfully tapped from the tree Hevea Brasiliensis. The most commonly used latex product in the world is the condom. Over one billion condoms are distributed by the World Health Organisation to combat the aids epidemic. Over eight billion are still needed.
I have heard about Latex allergies ?
Some people have a skin reaction to the rubber proteins in Latex. Our mats are specially formulated to minimise the dispersion of rubber proteins and therefore should be no problem to the vast majority of users. If you know you suffer from a latex allergy we would not advise you use the ecoYoga mat.
I have heard of PER and TPE yoga mats. What are these?
TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) foam is a non-toxic plastic that can be melted down easily for reuse (unlike PVC). Commonly it is used as ear plugs, toothbrush handles and weather seals. Yoga mats is one of its recent applications. It is soft and less durable, though more favourable, than PVC. PER (polymer environment resin) is a synthetic compound developed as an alternative to PVC. In the 1990s the popularity of PVC gave way to consumer and processor awareness of its environmental implications. PER contains no phthalates or heavy metals and has food grade skin safety.
© EcoYoga Ltd 2003-2005.
How do I care for my ecoYoga mat ?
Let your ecoYoga mat breathe as much as possible, especially if you work a sweat on to it.
The mats wash well in the washing machine through a cool cycle using a small amount of detergent. They will however retain a lot of water. Remove excess amounts by rolling up with a dry towel - the old traditional woollens method!
Dry flat to avoid creasing (though these will eventually smooth out).
Do not put through a tumble dryer.
Equally you can freshen the mat by wiping it down with a soft damp cloth.
Avoid contact with oils.
Store out of direct sunlight.
Why are ecoYoga mats environmental ?
ecoYoga mats are made from entirely natural plant based material. They are PVC free (PVC is a long term pollutant plastic). At the end of the Yoga mat's life they can be composted - making them completely eco-friendly.
Why should i use an environmentally friendly mat ?
Yoga mats have become the major accessory to ones practice and with the ever increasing trend it means millions and millions of mats are out there being bought and disposed. That's a lot of mats in the landfill sites. We believe the postures on your yoga mat are the beginning of a journey to protect and promote the health and well-being of your body and mind. If this inner awareness is awakened one hopes it finds reflection in the external world. Practising on a shiny glossy plastic mat made as cheaply as possible for maximum profit is the antithesis of yoga. It is simple gesture to practice on a mat created with yoga in mind from renewable resources.
Anyway we just thought it would be lovely to be able to practice on something a bit closer to nature, something with aesthetic but still have a good grip! Of course the choice is entirely up to you!
Why do ecoYoga mats cost so much ?
Being made from the highest quality natural materials in the UK and inspecting each mat for quality means our production costs are higher than mass produced German or Chinese mats.
What about fair trade or child labour ?
Our mats are made in the UK. We deliberately chose not to make our mats in China or Taiwan where they would have been cheaper. There are currently no FairTrade standards within the jute or rubber industry. Jute is set to have standards by 2007 end. Our Scottish jute supplier has long family business relationships in India and Bangladesh and works only with government factories where standards can be monitored. They are all ISO-9001 certified.
My ecoYoga mat has an odour. Why is this ?
The base material for our mats is natural rubber baked in an oven during the curing process of manufacture. The Natural mats therefore have an odour of latex when new. This wears off after some time and a good bit of airing after use. Our latest batch of mats has very little natural rubber smell.
Do you have different colours of mats ?
As time goes on we will bring out different colour ranges. We wish to have a core group of colours that will satisfy a broad spectrum of tastes.
I was sold an "eco" yoga mat by another supplier. Is it really "eco"?
The chances are that your mat still contains PVC, an environmentally damaging plastic. There is however much change afoot in the yoga mat world with increased demand for non-plastic goods. We have not yet found any supplier of Yoga mats that conform to our strict standards of ecology.
How long will my ecoYoga mat last?
It really depends on your practice, your environment and how you look after it. The natural rubber is sensitive to sunlight, oils and extreme heat (eg sitting on top a radiator). These all will contribute to the degradation of the material. We have had customers buying their new mats after 18 months happy with its wear.
My mat sheds little pieces and sticks to my clothes. Is this normal?
From time to time this has caused concern for some practitioners. Initial shedding has occured with some mats then stops until much later into the use of the mat. Lycra clothes seem to attract the little rubber particles more than cotton. Again it depends on your practice. We are looking into wear and tear of the mats as time passes and we always need feedback.
Other suppliers sell Eco-tex Yoga mats. What is this ?
Eco-tex (or Oeko-tex) is a private European testing laboratory that asses materials for harmfulness to human skin contact. These Yoga mats are not strictly "environmental" or "ecological". We believe any product that contains PVC cannot claim to be environmental. ecoYoga does not sell any Yoga mats with the Eco-tex certificate.
What is PVC ?
PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride) is an oil based plastic. It is used in many applications such as wiring, flooring, pipes, wallpaper, window frames, doors and food packaging and is very cheap.
What is rubber or latex ?
Rubber and Latex is the substance skillfully tapped from the tree Hevea Brasiliensis. The most commonly used latex product in the world is the condom. Over one billion condoms are distributed by the World Health Organisation to combat the aids epidemic. Over eight billion are still needed.
I have heard about Latex allergies ?
Some people have a skin reaction to the rubber proteins in Latex. Our mats are specially formulated to minimise the dispersion of rubber proteins and therefore should be no problem to the vast majority of users. If you know you suffer from a latex allergy we would not advise you use the ecoYoga mat.
I have heard of PER and TPE yoga mats. What are these?
TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) foam is a non-toxic plastic that can be melted down easily for reuse (unlike PVC). Commonly it is used as ear plugs, toothbrush handles and weather seals. Yoga mats is one of its recent applications. It is soft and less durable, though more favourable, than PVC. PER (polymer environment resin) is a synthetic compound developed as an alternative to PVC. In the 1990s the popularity of PVC gave way to consumer and processor awareness of its environmental implications. PER contains no phthalates or heavy metals and has food grade skin safety.
© EcoYoga Ltd 2003-2005.
