Yoga is all about connecting with your body, breathing, and really checking in. You may use yoga as a form of meditation, as a way to exercise, or for processing grief. No matter the reason you practice, your yoga should be good for you and good for the planet.
Unfortunately, many yoga mats are made with PVCs and toxic plastics that harm our bodies and leave a large environmental impact on mother earth. It's important to invest in eco-friendly yoga mats that are made from sustainable materials and with minimal amounts of plastic and synthetic dyes.
Sustainable Materials for Yoga Mats
Generally speaking, you want to avoid plastic yoga mats. Plastic yoga mats leach PVCs which are extremely toxic (read more about avoiding PVCs here). You can tell when something is made with PVC as it smells like plastic. Think of that new car smell or a new shower curtain. That smell? PVC off-gassing.
So what materials are best to use in eco-friendly yoga mats?
Natural Cork: Cork is a natural material extracted from the "cork oak" and a renewable resource. It can be collected once the tree is mature at 25-30 years and is removed without killing the tree. It is then re-harvest every nine years after that.
Natural Rubber: Rubber is a polymer extracted from plants that produce latex. Not all latex producing plants will have rubber - only about 2,500 species exist even though nearly 20,000 species produce latex.
Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE): TPE's are plastic polymers that behave similarly to rubber and are becoming a more frequent substitutions to natural rubber. This is typically because TPE's can be molded (recycled) indefinitely with the application of heat.
Recycled Material: Recycled materials typically have a lower carbon footprint than virgin materials (although not always). Some yoga mats are made from recycled rubber and recycled plastic products.
Jute: Jute is a vegetable fiber from the white Jute plant. It is the second most widely used fiber material, after cotton, worldwide and takes less water to produce.
How to Get Rid of Old Yoga Mats
If you have an old yoga mat you no longer want, there are very few options for getting rid of it.
Donate Your Yoga Mat
If the yoga mat is still in good shape and usable, you should definitely donate it to a local thrift shop or post it on a group like Buy Nothing or Craigslist. Putting a yoga mat in the trash that is usable is simple a waste and absolutely not environmentally friendly.
Trash Your Yoga Mat
If, however, your yoga mat is beyond use with holes and rips, it'll most likely need to be placed in the trash can. Very few curbside recycling companies will accept things like yoga mats - even if they are made from plastic or rubber! Don't be fooled thinking that anything "plastic" can be placed in the bin. Unless your recycling company specifically addresses yoga mats and you are 100% positive the type of plastic it is, place it in the trash bin.
Yoga Mat Recycling Programs
There is also the possibility of purchasing a new yoga mat from a company that will take back your old one for recycling. Take a look at Manduka below to see how they are implementing a recycling program for any type of yoga mat returned to them. Unfortunately it is only available to their customers so you can't send in one for recycling unless you buy one from them first.
This post contains affiliate links where I earn a small commission on any sales made through the links, at no cost to you.
Zero Waste Yoga Mats Made Without Plastic and From Recycled Materials
The Best Sustainable Yoga Mats by Category
Best Sustainable Yoga Mat for Tall People: Jade Yoga 80" long mat
Best Sustainable Yoga Mat with Extra Width: Jade Yoga 28" wide mat
Best Affordable Sustainable Yoga Mat: Prana E.C.O mat at $55
Best Sustainable Yoga Mat Made from Recycled Material: Kiss the Sky
Best Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat Made 100% in the U.S.: Kiss the Sky
My Current Sustainable Yoga Mat: Jade Yoga mat
Cost: $80-150
Material: Natural Rubber
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: USA
HQ Location: USA
Size: 68" or 74" or 80" by 24" or 28";
Thickness: 4.5 mm thick
Weight: 5 pounds
Jade Yoga plants a tree for every mat sold with Trees for the Future. They also give back by having dedicated causes on Earth Day, Black Friday, and for some specific colored mats. For example, $5 for every teal mat sold goes to ovarian cancer causes.
I currently use the extra-long, extra-wide navy blue yoga mat by Jade Yoga and I love it! Absolutely no slipping, no peeling, and super easy to wipe down after each use.
Cost: $82-106
Material: Cork & Natural rubber
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: USA
Size: 72" or 78" by 24" or 27";
Thickness: 4 mm thick
Weight: weight not specified
Urbivore is owned by two sisters and plants a tree for every purchase with One Tree Planted. Their website uses models that include BIPOC representation and size inclusivity.
Cost: $129
Material: Organic Cotton & Latex
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: India
HQ Location: USA
Size: 71" by 24"
Thickness: 5 mm thick
Weight: 5.7 lbs.
Brentwood Home is owned by Avocado Green Brands (who make our very favorite mattress!). Their yoga mat is GOTS certified organic for both the cotton and latex used and free from any other synthetic materials. You can even wash the mat on warm or cold!
Cost: $84-117
Material: Cork & Natural Rubber; water based inks
Materials Sourced From: Cork from Portugal; Rubber from Vietnam
Manufactured in: China
HQ Location: Canada
Size: 72" or 80" by 24" or 26";
Thickness: 3.5-4.5 mm thick
Weight: 2.8 kg
Plus kids sizes!
Every yoga mat sold through Scoria means 10 meals are donated through the program Feeding Children Everywhere. They also commit to 100% plastic free shipping!
Cost: $45-95
Material: Rubber
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: USA
Size: 71" or 79" by 24"
Thickness: 5mm
Weight: 7-8 lbs.
Manduka has created a LiveOn program where they partner with The Renewal Workshop to downcycle old yoga mats. When purchasing from Manduka, simply add the LiveOn option to your cart (~$10) and send in ANY old yoga mat you have. If the mat needs just a little TLC, they'll fix it up and find a home for it! Or if it's beyond repair, they'll downcycle it into things like carpet padding, soles of shoes, and track turf.
This is one of the first yoga mat recycling programs of its kind!
6. Kiss the Sky
Cost: $79
Material: 100% Recycled Rubber
Materials Sourced From: USA
Manufactured in: USA
HQ Location: USA
Size: 74" by 24"
Thickness: 4.78 mm
Weight: 4.1 lbs.
Kiss the Sky creates yoga mats made from manufacturing cuttings and scraps that might otherwise go to waste. All their rubber is pre-consumer recycled and made into yoga mats with ISO 9001 certified Zero Emission manufacturing partners. They have calculated that each recycled rubber yoga mat emits 6.5 pounds fewer CO2 emissions than mats made through traditional means.
Cost: $70
Material: Cork and Recycled Rubber
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: India
HQ Location: India
Size: 72" by 24"
Thickness: 3 mm
Weight: 5.8 lbs.
Juru Mandala is an India-based company that ships their yoga mats worldwide!
Cost: $88.81
Material: Natural Cork
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: Canada
Size: 70" by 26";
Thickness: 4mm thick
Weight: Not specified
Every Lush Valley Lifestyle yoga mat is wrapped in 100% plantable wild flower paper so you can plant it directly in your garden! Now that is truly eco-friendly packaging for a yoga mat!
Cost: $55
Material: 100% Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Vietnam & China
HQ Location: USA
Size: 72 x 24”;
Thickness: 5 mm thick
Weight: 2.2 lbs
Prana is a Member of the Fair Labor Association and although it does not directly operate the manufacturing piece, they are audited once a year to ensure their entire chain meets fair labor standards.
10. Ajna
Cost: $49.95
Material: Jute and PER (Polymer Environmental Resin) together
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: China
HQ Location: Australia
Size: 72" by 24"
Thickness: 5mm thick
Weight: Not specified
With every purchase, Anja donates to One Tree Planted!
11. Repose Yoga
Cost: $70
Material: Cork & Natural Rubber
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: USA
Size: 72" by 24";
Thickness: 4 mm thick
Weight: 6 lbs.
12. Body By Yoga
Cost: $89.99
Material: Cork & Natural Rubber
Materials sourced from: Cork from Portugal; Rubber from Vietnam
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: USA
Size: 80" by 26"
Thickness: 6.5 mm thick
Weight: 9.5 pounds
13. Yoloha
Cost: $79-149
Material: Cork & Foam (unspecified material)
Materials sourced from: Mediterranean region
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location:
Size: 72" by 26"
Thickness: 4-6 mm thick
Weight: 2.8 pounds
Yoloha commits to plastic free shipping!
14. Yoga Design Lab
Cost: $65-98
Material: Rubber & recycled plastic bottles
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: China
HQ Location: USA
Size: 70" by 24"
Thickness: 1.5 mm - 5.5 mm
Weight: Varies
The Microfiber on top of the rubber is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles! They are also using non-fade, water based inks to print their designs.
15. 2nd Wind
Cost: $80-140
Material: Cork & rubber; water based ink; no glue
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: USA
Size: 68" by 24"
Thickness: 5 mm thick
Weight: 4.5 pounds (various versions)
Cost: $140-185
Material: Natural Rubber & polyurethane
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: USA
Size: 72" by 26"
Thickness: 4.2mm thick
Weight: 2.5 kg
Liforme partners with a variety of organizations where they donate 5% of specifically colored mats to them. For example, 5% of the sales of Purple Earth & White Earth series go to Friends of the Earth. They are also part of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
17. Maiya
Cost: $148
Material: proprietary German-engineered PVC technology certified by OEKO-TEX
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Germany
HQ Location: Los Angeles, USA
Size: 73" by 25.5";
Thickness: 5 mm thick
Weight: 6.1 pounds
Maiya is owned by Nihaar Sinha, an Indian-American, with artwork designed in Mumbai by Shweta Malhotra. Their website includes South Asian and POC models with their yoga mats.
Their material is certified by OEKO-TEX as safe for use by humans.
Cost: $99
Material: Cork & Natural Rubber
Materials Sourced From: Family-farm in India and other parts of Asia
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: USA
Size: 72" by 25"
Thickness: 5 mm
Weight: Not specified
Gurus partners with Trees for the Future and plants a tree for every yoga mat sold.
Cost: $96
Material: Eco-friendly TPE
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: USA
Size: 72" by 26"
Thickness: 6 mm
Weight: 2 lbs.
Pharamond plants a tree for every yoga mat purchased!
Cost: $54-$130
Material: Natural Rubber
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Taiwan
HQ Location:
Size: 70" or 78" by 24" or 28"
Thickness: 5 mm
Weight: 6.6 lbs.
Hugger Mugger donates a portion of profits to a charitable organization each quarter but does not specify how much.
Cost: $40-$70
Material: All-natural jute and polymer environmental resin
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: China
HQ Location:
Size: 68 x 24”
Thickness: 5 mm thick
Weight: 4.25 lbs
Cost: $90-$130
Material: Cork & Rubber
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: USA
Size: 72" or 78" by 26.5"
Thickness: 5 mm
Weight: Not specified
Cost: $46
Material: Jute
Materials Sourced From: Not specified
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location:
Size: 72" by 24"
Thickness: 8 mm
Weight: Not specified
1% of each purchase goes towards Karma Life although Lottus Life yoga mats are only available on Amazon (which definitely does not have an ethical track record).
Cost: € 129.00
Material: 97% Natural Rubber & 3% plastic
Materials Sourced From: farmers' associations in the Hainan province of Asia
Manufactured in: Not specified
HQ Location: Germany
Size: 74" by 25"
Thickness: 4.5 mm
Weight: 6.3 lbs.
Mantrafant's yoga mats are sent by railway instead of by plane to their warehouse in Germany and then sent to your house with GoGreen shipping, a carbon-neutral shipping company. The carboard boxes are made of grass fiber and paper waste, too!
They also plant one tree in Germany for every yoga mat sold!