Find the best eco friendly yoga mat
Let’s face it – with constant warnings of impending doom regarding the ongoing climate situation, we can all afford to be a little more eco-conscious. How does your yoga mat measure up? Are you in the market for an eco friendly yoga mat? And what exactly makes a yoga mat sustainable and what are some alternative sustainable materials? Regardless, these are the market’s top environmentally friendly yoga mats to accompany you in your yoga practice.
Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
I initially thought about writing this post with the intent to focus on environmentally friendly travel yoga mats. However, when I was compiling my list, I realized that my all-time favorite eco-friendly yoga mat is not exactly travel-friendly, but I couldn’t omit it from the list. I’ll specify which of these are travel-friendly as well.
what makes a yoga mat environmentally friendly vs. toxic?
There are a number of qualities to consider when shopping for your next eco-friendly yoga mat. How it is sourced, what it’s made of, ethics and sustainability, whether or not it’s biodegradable – all of these are important factors to contemplate.
Look for mats that don’t contain synthetic materials such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) – this is a plastic that’s responsible for that ‘new yoga mat’ smell. PVC also emits toxic chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that we inhale when our faces get up-close and personal with our mats. These not only have an impact on your health, but also have an environmental impact as they don’t decompose.
Cork yoga mats and natural rubber yoga mats are both great options for natural materials to look for in environmentally friendly yoga mats and non-toxic yoga mats.
best best eco-friendly yoga mats
best for travel
liforme travel
I couldn’t choose between my two favorite travel mats, so I didn’t! I love the Liforme Travel Mat for extra stickiness if I know I’ll be practicing in a humid climate or taking heated classes. It’s on the pricier side, so it’s probably best for frequent travelers or people who just want to have a more lightweight mat regularly available to them.
But let me tell you, this eco-friendly yoga mat was an absolute lifesaver when I was practicing yoga in Koh Phangan!
- TRANSFORM YOUR PRACTICE – Liforme’s portable mat unit. At 72" x 26" x 0.09", it‘s perfect to use on it’s own, as a topper and light enough to be carried to classes. This product comes with a free Yoga bag.
- ULTIMATE GRIP – This premium mat benefits from the ground-breaking Liforme “GripForMe” material that gives you unparalleled warrior-like grip whilst practicing.
- REVOLUTIONARY ALIGNMENT SYSTEM – Our intelligently designed unique “AlignForMe” system helps guide and prevent injuries to Yogis of all experience levels, maximising Yoga enjoyment.
- TRULY PLANET FRIENDLY – Liforme incorporates the most ‘body kind’ specially engineered eco-polyurethane and rubber. These mats are PVC free, made using high quality non-toxic materials that keep the mat clean and hygienic.
- MADE BY YOGIS, FOR YOGIS – Liforme Yoga Mats are loved and adored by 100s of 1000s of Women and Men Worldwide. Join the Liforme family with this exclusive, comfortable and lightweight Mat.
Jade Travel
The Jade Travel Mat is more portable given its greater flexibility and is made solely from natural tree rubber. While I prefer the Liforme Travel Mat for hot classes, I prefer the Jade Travel Mat for just about any other type of class.
Not to mention, Jade is a great brand for environmentally friendly yogis – they plant a tree for each mat sold to offset the amount of rubber they use in manufacturing their products. Rubber is an awesome eco-friendly option for mats!
- PORTABLE & LIGHTWEIGHT: The Travel Yoga Mat by JadeYoga is great for taking your yoga practice on the go. Weighing only 3 pounds and 1/8" thick, it can be easily folded to fit into your backpack. With its natural rubber construction, it ensures excellent grip and comfort for both men and women during their workout.
- NATURAL MATERIALS: Our yoga mats are made from natural rubber tapped from rubber trees and responsibly sourced with an eye to the future, which provides excellent traction and cushioning. Made without PVC, phthalates, heavy metals, or other harsh chemicals, it's easy to clean with our plant-based mat wash, so you can focus on your yoga practice.
- NON-SLIP GRIP: Our Travel Yoga Mat is crafted from natural rubber for a steady grip and comfortable cushion. This non-slip grip gives you the stability you need to stay in poses and complete your exercises with confidence.
- MADE IN THE USA: Our yoga mats are made in the USA with imported rubber obtained responsibly. Not just for yoga, our mats are suitable for Pilates, workouts, and general fitness activities.
- BE THE CHANGE: At JadeYoga, we want to leave the earth a better place. We plant a tree for every mat sold, and through our partnership with Trees for the Future, we've planted over two million trees.
Best for daily use
tiggar yoga
The Tiggar Yoga Mat is a solid choice for someone who has a daily practice and for yoga teachers. I noticed very little wear-and-tear on the Tiggar mat while maintaining a regular practice. Like the Jade mats, Tiggar mats are made from 100% biodegradable rubber, which comes from trees. Jade has a leg up on Tiggar, however, since they actively work to plant trees in local communities.
Still, the Tiggar Yoga Mat is a solid choice if you’re in the market for an eco-friendly yoga mat that doesn’t break the bank.
- Made from biodegradable, 100% natural tree rubber with non-toxic foaming agents and non-AZO dyes.
- Premium 4 mm thick, 72” x 24”. Our yoga mat is suitable for all types of floor activities, including yoga, pilates.
- Superior quality , Comfort and Support. Tigger Yoga uses the highest quality materials available to deliver outstanding performance.
- Excellent grip & slip resistance. performs brilliantly in any style yoga, even in the most dynamic and sweaty of environments.
- 100% Eco Friendly , Zero waste manufacturing process. Made in Taiwan. Independently tested by SGS.🌟Before using : All natural rubber has distinctive smell that is like a just unpacked new book. as long as the mat was spread on a cool and ventilated place for 3 - 4 days , the smell will disappear gradually.
jade harmony
The Jade Harmony is one of my favorite eco friendly yoga mats. It’s slightly thicker than the Jade Travel Mat, providing a little extra cushion for arm balances and inversions than its travel counterpart. I also find the rubber texture of the mat quite comfortable for Yin and Restorative yoga, anything that requires longer holds of the poses.
I love old, worn Jade mats, since they have a natural floppiness to them that comes over time. They’ve got plenty of traction for room-temperature classes, but I personally prefer something stickier for a heated practice.
- THE PERFECT YOGA MAT: At 3/16” thick, the Jade Harmony() Yoga Mat is the perfect combination of grip, comfort, and weight - making it our most popular yoga mat, ranked #1 by many yoga teachers and practitioners. And like all Jade mats, the Harmony() mat is made sustainably with natural rubber tapped from rubber trees, a rapidly renewable resource.
- NON-SLIP: Natural, open-cell rubber provides a better cushion than synthetic rubber, making it easier to achieve and hold poses. It makes the perfect exercise mat for men, women, and anyone looking for a nature-friendly and slip-resistant workout mat.
- NATURAL MATERIALS: Jade yoga mats are made from entirely toxin-free materials with no PVC, phthalates, heavy metals, or other harsh chemicals. Easy to clean, we recommend JadeYoga's plant-based Mat Wash, so you can spend more time focusing on your yoga practice.
- SUSTAINABLE RUBBER: JadeYoga mats are made in the USA with imported rubber that is carefully sourced with the future in mind. Our yoga mats are made from natural rubber, tapped from rubber trees, a rapidly renewable resource.
- BE THE CHANGE: Jade is committed to giving back to the earth with every mat sold. We want to leave the earth a better place than when we found it. As Jade mats come from trees, we decided to give back by planting a tree for every mat sold. And since 2006, through our partnership with Trees for the Future, we have done just that, planting over two million trees so far.
best for inversions & arm balances
manduka eko
I love the thickness (5mm) of the Manduka Eko Yoga Mat for inversions and arm balances. Something about knowing I’ve got a little padding underneath me helps with the anxieties and uncertainties that can accompany more advanced, complicated poses. Despite its thickness, it provides perfect stability when you’re upside-down or balancing on your hands.
This mat also has pretty good grip for room-temperature classes. For heated, super-sweaty classes, consider investing in a Manduka Yogi Toes towel to keep your footing.
The main downfall with Manduka mats is that they don’t recommend using homemade or natural cleaning solutions on the mat (which is what I prefer to use). They suggest using your Manduka mat only with their cleaning spray, which is kind of a pain to keep ordering. The spray is also eco-friendly.
- eKO YOGA MAT: Eco-Friendly, biodegradable mat with natural rubber grip that catches if you start to slip; Sustainable construction, non-Amazon harvested natural tree rubber mat supports both your practice and our planet
- HIGH PERFORMANCE: Provides superior durability lasting 2x longer than other natural rubber mats; The eKO mat offers superior joint protection and unmatched grip and support for your yoga, Pilates, exercise or fitness routine
- PREMIUM MATERIAL: Rippled surface texture for superior traction; Naturally made and 99% latex free; Closed-cell surface prevents sweat from seeping into the mat, tightly woven scrim resists tearing or stretching
- SUSTAINABLE: Every EKO mat is made from biodegradable, 100% natural tree rubber with non-toxic foaming agents, non-azo dyes, no PVC or harmful plasticizers; All scrap is re-used for a zero waste manufacturing process
- PRODUCT DETAILS: 71" x 24", 5mm thick; Keep your mat in top condition by wiping down after every practice with Manduka’s Natural Rubber Yoga Mat Restore to maintain the performance of your eKO Series yoga mat; Midnight Color
best for yin & restorative
jade fusion
This is another environmentally friendly yoga mat that has a really nice, comfortable thickness. It’s thicker than the Manduka Eko (above) at 7.95mm. This gives it slightly less stability, yet makes it ideal for soul-warming, close-to-the-ground classes such as yin and restorative.
Add an organic cotton blanket for more comfort and support, and you’re good to go!
- PREMIUM QUALITY: JadeYoga mats are specially designed to provide a superior level of traction. We only use natural rubber because it provides a better grip and has more cushion and is better for the earth than synthetic rubbers (PVC, PER, TPE, EVA). The result is a yoga mat that provides grip, comfort, and durability.
- ULTRA COMFORTABLE MAT: The Fusion mat is a thick exercise mat designed for restorative yoga, Yin yoga, Pilates, core fitness, or anytime you need extra comfort! At 5/16” thick, the Fusion Mat provides extra cushion for whenever you want, or need maximum comfort.
- NATURAL MATERIALS: Jade yoga mats are made from entirely toxin-free materials with no PVC, phthalates, heavy metals, or other harsh chemicals. Easy to clean, we recommend JadeYoga's plant-based Mat Wash, so you can spend more time focusing on your yoga practice.
- SUSTAINABLE RUBBER: JadeYoga mats are made in the USA with imported rubber that is carefully sourced with the future in mind. Our yoga mats are made from natural rubber, tapped from rubber trees, a rapidly renewable resource.
- BE THE CHANGE: Jade is committed to giving back to the earth with every mat sold. We want to leave the earth a better place than when we found it. As Jade mats come from trees, we decided to give back by planting a tree for every mat sold. And since 2006, through our partnership with Trees for the Future, we have done just that, planting over two million trees so far.
best for heated yoga
liforme
I really don’t think other mats can come close to the grip that the Liforme Mat provides during a hot yoga class. I’m definitely a sweater when I practice, regardless of the room temperature, so you can imagine how soaked I get in a heated class! This is the stickiest mat I’ve found thus far (and trust me, I’ve tried plenty of them!).
The fact that it’s an environmentally friendly yoga mat just makes it that much more special.
If you’re taking exclusively heated classes, this bad boy is definitely worth an investment.
- TRANSFORM YOUR PRACTICE – This Premium Yoga mat is designed to be the most innovative & comfortable mat on the market to optimise your home exercises. This product comes with a free Yoga bag.
- ULTIMATE GRIP – This premium mat benefits from the ground-breaking Liforme “GripForMe” material that gives you unparalleled warrior-like grip whilst practicing.
- REVOLUTIONARY ALIGNMENT SYSTEM – Our intelligently designed unique “AlignForMe” system helps guide and prevent injuries to Yogis of all experience levels, maximising Yoga enjoyment.
- TRULY PLANET FRIENDLY – Liforme incorporates the most ‘body kind’ specially engineered eco-polyurethane and rubber. These mats are PVC free, biodegradable in 1-5 years in normal landfill conditions and made using high quality non-toxic materials that keep the mat clean and hygienic.
- MADE BY YOGIS, FOR YOGIS – Liforme Yoga Mats are loved and adored by 100s of 1000s of Women and Men Worldwide. Join the Liforme family with this unique, comfortable and thick Mat.
sorry to disappoint…
It was disheartening to learn that my OG yoga mat, the Lululemon original mat doesn’t make the mark when it comes to environmentally friendly and sustainable yoga mats. Nor does the Kind Mat, which was my favorite for practicing inversions and arm balances.
But, in my case, adjusting to more eco-friendly options and cork mats was the right decision.