PVC Does Not Belong in our Yoga Mats
When shopping around for a yoga mat, there’s a few considerations to keep in mind. One key
factor that the Red Lotus center highly believes in is to make sure your mat is made from
biodegradable materials, not just because it is environmentally responsible, but because many
non-biodegradable materials pose a health hazard to you as well. It also has the added perk of
keeping in line with the yogic principle of ahimsa, or non-violence (toward the planet.)
PVC is the main offender in terms of non-biodegradable yoga mat materials. Almost half of all
yoga mats are made from it, especially those on the cheaper end of the spectrum. It’s durable,
but it doesn’t necessarily provide the correct grip or support. Additionally, PVC is harmful at
every step of its production, and will gradually leak out from your mat at the warm temperatures
typically associated with yoga.
Consumers Advocate recently tested a few alternative materials for yoga mats. They found a
few that could be good choices either for your own personal health and comfort, or for
environmentally-conscious reasons. Many of them are mostly, if not fully biodegradable. The
following is a brief list of our findings:
● Polyurethane (PU) - This material is considerably more eco-friendly than PVC, however,
there is still the potential for environmentally-unfriendly and harmful materials to be
utilized in its manufacture. Liforme manufactures mats that have been lab-tested to show
they use eco-PU, which is fully biodegradable and non-toxic.
● Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) - This is a mix of synthetic materials such as plastics
and rubber, which means that they can be recycled. As with PU, there is the possibility
of some harmful materials to be used in its manufacture, so it’s important to do some
research into the company of your choosing.
● Polymer Environmentally Friendly Resin (PER) - This is marketed as an eco-friendly
alternative to PVC, however, lab testing showed that this is actually a PVC product,
despite all claims to the contrary. We do not recommend these types of mats for the
environmentally conscious.
● Rubber - Natural rubber is a good and eco-friendly option for yoga mats. They have
good cushioning and grip, but the ones we tested were unfortunately not very durable,
which can end up generating more waste.
● Cork - Cork is a natural and durable material for yoga mats. These types of mats go well
with almost any variant of yoga, as they provide good grip and comfort.
● Cotton - This material is arguably eco-friendly, depending on the process that is used to
produce the yoga mats, as some techniques could involve environmentally-unfriendly
materials or byproducts. It is durable, but not suited for most forms of active yoga. It has
great applications for meditative practices.
https://www. consumersadvocate.org/yoga- mats