Cork is an impermeable, elastic, bouyant material, harvested primarily from the Cork Oak - an evergreen tree which grows in South West Europe and North West Africa. It is used in a huge variety of products - probably the most widely known being the stopper in a wine bottle. Over the centuries, cork has been used in flooring, footwear, floats and cricket ball cores amongst other things!
It is also the material used as the top or surface layer for many Yoga Mats and it is well suited to this application. The cork provides a warm, tactile, smooth yet grippy surface on which Yoga can be practiced and these mats are widely used. See our eco-friendly cork mats at Cork Yoga Mat | Ecological Yoga Mats (eco-yoga-mats.com). The cork is naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial and is easy to care for and can be washed or wiped down. If you treat a cork Yoga Mat with care and refrain from bending or folding it, you will get years of use!
Why do we love cork so much? We have seven great reasons!
Cork is natural - it grows on trees!
Cork is renewable. Cork Oak trees are able to regenerate their outer layer about 12 times over their life (average life span approximately 150 years).
Cork is recyclable.
Cork is biodegradable.
Cork is a highly durable material and won't scratch or spoil easily.
Harvesting the bark does not harm the tree and the harvested cork oak absorbs up to ten times the average carbon dioxide taken up by un-harvested cork oak, decreasing greenhouse gases significantly!
Cork has stood the test of time! Some of the first references to cork date from as early as 3000BC in Egypt & Persia where it is reported to have been used in fishing gear.
What's not to love?