Love. The. Earth. with Conscious Living

Yoga Design Lab, famous for its uber-colorful yoga mats made from recycled plastic bottle microfibres, is excited to be launching their first ever collection of beautiful Cork yoga products, designed to love the earth.

Described by Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue as ‘stunning works of art’, Yoga Design Lab is a young Bali based yoga brand that is shaking up the industry with sophisticated eco-technology and eye-catching designs.

‘The goal was to create a beautiful, highly-functional product with the smallest eco- footprint possible. Countless yoga mats end up in landfills because they’re made from non-recyclable, hazardous materials. While our overall goal is to limit plastic usage, at least we can start repurposing what’s already out there and keep it from our oceans.’ – Chad Turner, Founder/Designer.

The Cork Yoga Mat is the most sustainable choice within yoga mats.  Cork trees grow around the Mediterranean naturally and on farms. The mat cork is sourced and certified from tree farms in Portugal, while the block and wheel cork is from Algeria. The bark of the cork tree can be harvested every 9-10 years during its 200 year life span. The tree is not harmed during the process; it actually allows for greater absorption of CO2 while the bark regrows.  If a tree does reach its end life, two new saplings are planted in its place thus ensuring the cork forest continues to flourish and renew.

The harvested cork bark is shredded to a pulp and pressed into long sheets to be used in products. Any left over cork dust is used to fuel the mills. Cork is lightweight, allowing for more efficient shipping to our factory.  The yoga mat cork is supported by a base of natural non-slip rubber from Vietnam. Only water-based inks are used for the prints, leaving you with a fully sustainable and beautiful piece of art.

Cork is antimicrobial, meaning you don’t need harmful chemicals to clean your collection. Organic soap and water is sufficient and if you get any major stains, you can actually file down the cork a bit and avoid cleaners altogether! If you no longer need your products, cork is compostable. Better yet, you can find a local agency to upcycle your cork such as https://recork.com/ or find DIY inspiration for your home here  https://recyclenation.com/2015/07/23-ways-to-upcycle-corks/! It is a total closed-loop supply chain, so you can be savasana-assured that your collection has been ethically sourced and manufactured with conscious awareness.