The first time we were asked whether we could help source a yoga mat made with Fairly Traded natural rubber was in October 2009 – the Fair Rubber Association did not even exist then. The request was to help establish a supply chain for a yoga mat containing some natural rubber, but the challenge was to have a mat that does not contain ANY synthetic rubber. And that is the real issue: There a quite a number of yoga mats on the market, which claim that their mats are made with natural rubber – but they don’t disclose that they also contain synthetic rubber, i.e. plastic, i.e. fossil fuel: Only rubber experts can smell/test that difference. But finally, after ‘only’ 12 years of trying, after numerous visits to potential mat makers in a number of countries – a double miracle has happened: Two of our members now offer yoga mats with natural rubber only …
