Packaging
Customer orders are shipped exclusively in 100% recycled or recyclable cardboard and kraft paper, with absolutely no single-use plastic packaging materials. This eliminates common polluting materials like poly mailers or bubble wrap.
Ingredient Sustainability
Yoloha’s core product materials are overwhelmingly plant-based and renewable. Its yoga mats feature a top surface of natural cork (bark of cork oak trees) and a base layer of “Plant Foam,” a proprietary foam derived in part from sugarcane. Cork is harvested by hand without cutting down trees; the bark regenerates every 9 years, and harvested cork oaks actually absorb 5× more CO₂ while regrowing. This makes cork a highly sustainable material with minimal ecological harm; even waste from cork processing is reused for other products or as fuel. Yoloha’s Plant Foam is a biobased elastomer developed to replace conventional petrochemical foam/rubber in mats. It is made 55% from sugarcane byproducts (a renewable agricultural resource) and enables Yoloha mats to be 70–83% bio-based overall. All Yoloha mats are certified under the USDA BioPreferred program for verified bio-based content.
The cork oak forests that supply Yoloha are biodiversity hotspots with protected status, and cork harvesting is a long-standing tradition providing fair-wage jobs to local communities. Plant Foam’s sugarcane is sourced from Brazil’s center-south mills with zero-deforestation standards (verified by RenovaBio certification), ensuring the plant-based content does not drive land harm. By utilizing these materials, Yoloha avoids more harmful textiles like PVC or PU foam (common in cheaper yoga mats), and reduces dependence on non-renewable resources.
Energy Use and Footprint
Yoloha is a relatively small business, but it takes notable steps to manage its carbon footprint. The brand localizes production where possible: many products are made either in their own Charleston, SC warehouse or by local partners, which helps reduce transportation emissions and ensure quality. For example, all cork yoga wheels are handmade in the US, avoiding the need to import those items from overseas. Sourcing cork from Portugal (fairly close to the US) and manufacturing some goods domestically shortens supply chains compared to typical industry practices of production in Asia.
To address emissions from shipping, Yoloha has partnered with Carbonfund.org to offset the carbon emissions of delivering its products worldwide. Founder Chris Willey notes that as their business grows and ships more globally, they support reforestation and forest preservation projects through Carbonfund to neutralize shipping-related CO₂. This indicates a financial commitment to climate mitigation.
However, beyond shipping offsets, Yoloha does not publicly report detailed greenhouse gas emissions or comprehensive reduction targets. There’s no mention of the company using renewable energy in its facilities or achieving carbon neutrality across its entire operation.
Waste Management
Yoloha also incorporates recycled inputs and upcycling into its products, which is a form of waste mitigation upstream. The meditation cushions filled with recycled cork granules are a great example; cork waste from wine stoppers or mat production is given a second life as filling. Similarly, the use of wheat straw in their plastic spray bottles (40% agricultural waste material) reduces new plastic waste. Even cork dust from harvesting is used as fuel in cork processing facilities, meaning very little of the raw cork becomes waste. These actions align with circular principles by repurposing by-products and designing waste out of the system.
Business Model
Yoloha’s business model is fundamentally aligned with slow consumption principles. The company focuses on a niche of high-quality yoga equipment and does not rely on rapid style turnover or planned obsolescence. New product releases are limited (often artist-designed prints on mats rather than entirely new product categories), suggesting they aren’t driving relentless consumption cycles.
