The E. C. O. Mat is made by Prana. E. C. O. meaning earth conscious offering. Whether or not this mat is eco-friendly is somewhat debatable. There are aspects of it that fit the eco-bill and others that go against it. The downside is that the mat is made from the thermo plastic elastomer. Thermo plastic elastomer supposedly doesn’t create any toxicity or use any toxic materials in its creation. However it is a man-made product and is somewhat questionable as to the end effects. There is much debate about the pros and cons of this material but it does have one outstanding quality that I am aware of. This mat is completely biodegradable and will decompose in the landfill easily. It’s great to know that your yoga mat won’t be here longer than you are. However what would be even better is if you could reuse the mat as well.
These are the details that you need to know about this mat. One it’s in a great price range. Coming in at $44.00 US it is light on the pocket book, and also light in weight at 2.5 pounds. This mat can easily be carted to and from the office, studio and car. The only draw back is that if you are keeping it in differing environments you should be aware of the effects of the sun and elements on the mat and may want to put it in a yoga mat carrying bag. Reason being is that Prana recommends keeping it out of the sun for longevity reasons. I think this likely relates to the unique material it is made out of that is specifically designed to disappear in the land fill. Alternatively, if you are keeping it out of the sun you can order elastic mat straps for only $2 on-line with the purchase of your mat.
Another great feature about the Prana E.C.O. yoga mat is that it is latex free. There are many options that are in fact and this is one of them. This is important for anyone with a latex allergy for obvious reasons. A drawback for people like me who are quite tall is that it is a one size fits all mat, meaning no extra long versions. Now here is the real kicker…if you are a fashion or color diva you will really like this. The mat comes in four styles, each are reversible or double sided, with slightly different patterns on each side. This adds a little spice in to your sadhana. The color mixes are a dark and light purple, a yellow and sage green, a blue with light green and then black and light grey for your standard fair that will go with anything and everything.
A not so convenient feature of this mat is that it is not machine washable. Many mats are created to be as this can cut cleaning time significantly but not this one. Also you can’t use common cleaners such as tea tree oil and vinegar on the mat, which may be a little inconvenient depending on what you use at home or at your studio. I believe that this has to do with the composition of the mat being designed to disappear in the landfill. I’m not sure this really works for me. If I can’t do what I would normally do with an object and I feel like I have to tip toe around so that I don’t wreck it, it feels a little off. This is just me though.
All things considered this mat is a great eco yoga mat option for those tree huggin’ daisy lovin’ yogis. With minimal footprint after its lifetime you can relax knowing your mat won’t ultimately out live you. The only thing to be aware of if you are more likely to be gentle on the items that you own, or if you like items to be a little more robust in nature. The Prana E.C.O. yoga mat is overall a good price, light weight and very cool looking. From my perspective it gets a 7.5 out of 10.