Sustainable Kork Yoga Mats - Designed in Germany & Made with Love in Portugal
Why Cork?
The material...
Cork is a renewable, CO₂ neutral, raw material. It is biodegradable and 100% sustainable. This unique material is antibacterial, elastic, stable, water-repellent, flame-retardant, age-resistant, as well as insulating against heat, cold and sound.
The history...
The evergreen cork oak has existed for several million years and is a typical tree species in the western Mediterranean and North Africa. The bark of the cork oak has been harvested and processed from trunks and main branches with cutting axes since the 2nd century AD. A cork oak is peeled for the first time at the age of 25, then again every 9 years. These trees usually reach an age of more than 200 years.
The procedure...
Peeling the cork oaks has no negative effects on the natural development of the tree. The tree is peeled by hand. As the bark of the cork oak grows, it binds CO₂ from the air. With each harvest, the cork oak absorbs more CO₂ to regenerate the bark. Harvested cork trees bind up to 3 times as much CO₂ as those that are not harvested. The active reforestation and use of cork by humans is therefore a positive contribution to climate protection and results in an unbeatable ecological balance.
The forests...
The cork oak biotopes are among the most biologically rich in the world and are home to a variety of endangered species. One of these endangered species is the Iberian lynx. The Iberian lynx is considered one of the rarest cats in the world, and its population is severely endangered, with only about 300 left. The survival of the shy animals is closely related to the preservation of their habitat. Currently this is limited to the cork oak forests in southern Spain and parts of Portugal. The animals depend on a combination of Mediterranean forest vegetation, shrubs and open grasslands. Natural cork oak biotopes fulfill exactly these conditions. The use of cork contributes to the preservation of these biotopes.
Cork today...
Portugal ist he largest cork producer in the world, responsible for more than 60% of the volume of world exports. The cork industry is one of Portugal's largest exports. Our cork is harvested sustainably in the plains of the Alentejo in southern Portugal. The manufacturing of our cork products takes place in northern Portugal, known as the center of the country's cork industry.