Manduka teams up with Recycle Your Mat

Posted: 02/09/2009 In Category: Fitness Manufacturer

Industry News Release Written By: Manduka

LOS ANGELES — Manduka, the world leader in designing eco-conscious yoga gear, announced today their partnership with Recycle Your Mat, an  organization dedicated to finding an end use for used yoga mats. In an effort to support mat recycling and help green our world, the companies are on a mission to collect 10,000 recycled yoga mats, keeping them from leaving footprints in landfills and reusing the materials for new product life cycles in an ecologically conscious way.

Promoting their commitment to the planet through the Recycle Your Mat program, Manduka is offering a 20% discount to individuals who recycle their used mat on their next Manduka purchase.  Yoga studios looking to properly dispose of their old mats while giving back to the earth will receive a 10% discount off their wholesale studio rental mats.   Creating a system for yoga mat recycling that is easy and effective, the program is as simple as dropping off your mat at a participating studio location or mailing it—by securing it closed with tape—to the Recycle Your Mat headquarters.

“Studies show that more than 20 million people practice yoga in the United States alone,”
said Recycle Your Mat founder Stephanie Stano.  “When I received a new mat last year I didn’t know what to do with my old one—and I wasn’t the only one.  To address the amount of yoga mat waste that builds up every year, I wanted to provide a system that can make great change in the consumer marketplace while maintaining the earth-friendly mentality of most yogis.  From that, Recycle Your Mat was born.”

Manduka, who has a long lineage of partnering with organizations that support the environment, has been dedicated for over a decade to creating eco-branded yoga products.  Their zippers, mat scrims and packaging are made with recyclable materials, their natural eKO yoga mats are made of biodegradable rubber, and they use natural unbleached cotton in their bags and straps.  The Manduka PROline is the only zero-waste, sustainable yoga mat on the market with a lifetime guarantee—minimizing their impact on the environment and ensuring years of superior performance.

“We are forever aware of our commitment and responsibility to protect the earth,” said Manduka CEO Sky Meltzer.  “We are continuously looking for new ways to give back to the planet, and Recycle Your Mat just made sense.  It is exciting to be a part of a mission that encourages people to be mindful of what they are throwing away, ultimately saving virgin materials.”

About Manduka
Founded in 1997 by architect turned yogi Peter Sterios, Manduka was built on the simple idea that a better yoga mat can make a world of difference. Manduka strives to support and enrich the yoga community by providing premium quality mats and products while respecting employees, customers, materials, and the environment.  Created for and by yoga enthusiasts, Manduka’s technical and purpose-driven product designs meet and often exceed the distinct needs of all practitioners.  Today Manduka’s products, which include yoga mats, towels, yoga straps, water bottles, and bags, are sold in more than 35 countries around the world. Not only focusing on superior design, Manduka also promotes their ethos of quality, thoughtfulness and sustainability in all realms of their business. www.manduka.com

About Recycle Your Mat
Founded by Stephanie Stano in 2008, Recycle Your Mat is the first yoga mat upcycling program, by providing yoga practitioners an easy way to recycle their used yoga mats.  Recycle Your Mat keeps yoga mats out of landfills by collecting mats for new product life cycles.  For more information about recycling your mat, participating locations and other information regarding yoga mat recycling, please visit: www.recycleyourmat.com

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