Yoga mats made with HEXPOL TPE biobased material

In their pursuit of quality yoga mats made from high levels of renewable materials, Yoloha chose to work with HEXPOL TPE.

To support Yoloha's sustainability goals, HEXPOL TPE developed a customised material from the Dryflex Green family of biobased thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). The TPE has 55 per cent biobased content. It has a high melt strength and drawability to easily produce foamed materials with a uniform foam structure. Foaming brings lightweight advantages and cushioning in applications such as mats, protective clothing, and seating.

Yoloha founder Chris Willey said: "I have worked with and tested most foams on the market from Natural rubber, EVA, PU, etc., and I have found TPE foam to be the perfect blend of support, durability and weight. With that in mind, I discovered HEXPOL TPE with their focus on sustainability. We quickly developed a great relationship and worked together to develop a customised material."

The Dryflex Green family of biobased TPEs contain raw materials from renewable resources, including by-products from agriculture rich in carbohydrates, especially saccharides such as grain, sugar beet or sugar cane. TPEs are available with amounts of biobased content to over 90 per cent (ASTM D 6866) with hardnesses from 15 Shore A to 60 Shore D.

Kathrin Heilmann, technical sales for sustainable TPE at HEXPOL TPE, added: "We're proud to work with Yoloha on this project. We aimed to achieve a high biobased content while keeping mechanical performance and processability. The material shows a good foamability for mats and other extruded products."