Friends for a decade, at the inception of Aladastra we were both working as executives in the Fashion industry. One designing sourcing and coordinating fashion collections of a triple brand company, and the other managing a 400 people booming fast fashion retailer.
When discussing the possibility of creating a brand or a product, Yoga practice aside, it was very clear that we shared the same values as to the standards and prerequisites any product would have to adhere too if it was to be our product.
Aesthetic pleasure, top quality materials, ethical sourcing, clear manufacturing process respectful both to humans involved in it and the environment.
These are our priorities as a result of our respective backgrounds that range from a masters degree in international environmental law and sustainable development to the ownership of an bio-organic cultivation estate.
We decided there and then that in our company no excuse would be important enough to compromise our values.

Where are Aladastra yoga mats made ?

Our mats have a double nationality! They are manufactured in Germany and designed and printed in Athens, Greece.

Why did we choose Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as a material?

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the world’s most researched and thoroughly tested plastic polymer, and the polymer itself is non-toxic. Consequently, the quality of a PVC product highly depends on the quality of its additives, namely stabilizers and lubricants.
Our German-produced yoga mats are made from medical grade PVC compounds in a zero-waste, zero-emissions process according to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®. Tested for more than 300 harmful substances. Our yoga mats are free of phthalates, heavy metals, AZO, DOP and latex.

Can my mat be recycled?

Being easy to separate from the waste stream, our STANDARD 100 yoga mats can be recycled at the end of their “first lifes”. The German PVC industry, including our manufacturer, has been making great progress in optimizing recycling technologies for high-quality PVC coated fabric, which is reused up to eight times within the existing range of PVC applications.

Why didn’t you choose Natural rubber, is it not a greener alternative?

Many competitors have started to focus on yoga mats made of “gentle on the Earth” materials like natural rubber, and we actually toyed with the same idea for a while. However, we rejected the project after taking a closer look behind the scenes of the rubber business.
The world market prices for rubber have decreased drastically in recent years, sometimes even falling below the cost of production. Consequently, many mediumholders and rubber tappers are driven into severe poverty, while the rubber processing industries make a fortune.
At the same time, two million hectares of rainforests worldwide have been transformed into rubber plantations in the past decade. This conversion results in a decline in biodiversity, leading to the subsequent extinction of many species on a global scale.

And how about your printing?

We believe it pivotal to choose partners that think and operate in the same way that we do. Our printing partners are located in Athens Greece, all their production procedures are inline with the EN ISO 9001:2008 certified from TUV Austria. Our mats are printed sustainably with non-toxic solvent free UV cured inks. Furthermore our partners are certified with FSC® for responsible forestry.

There you go! You learned everything about us! Oh no wait, how about our packaging?

Our packaging manufacturers are a family company operating in Athens,Greece also certified according to the EN ISO 9001:2008 by EQA Hellas. Our boxes and tapes are created by 100% recycled paper that was originally used in the local Greek market, thus keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible.