ZenTribe

Aim

We want to produce a high quality, planet friendly yoga mat using sustainable practices that combines surplus cork with up-cycled plastics.

HOW IT ALL STARTED:

Whilst I wiped down my hired yoga mat with yet another plastic wipe and saw the wipes being piled up in the bin, I began to feel frustrated. After several surf trips I had witnessed the damage being caused by more plastic littering our ocean and beautiful coast line and I wanted to do things differently. I wanted to create a positive change, now more than ever with the increasing use of plastic gloves and  masks being thrown away currently. Together we can make a difference.

ZenTribe was born..

After researching what damage plastic does to our aquatic life and coastal lines I learnt not all plastics can be recycled however a lot can be upcycled and refused in such a way to create products of higher quality or value than the original. We may not be able to get rid of plastic completely, but we can learn to reuse what we already have and make a positive impact for our planet.

-As of 2015 more than 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste had been generated. Around 9% of that was recycled, 12% was incinerated and 79% accumulated in landfills or environment.

 What makes our mats unique?

Among my research I also discovered the magical properties of cork and that there is a surplus of cork granules wasted every year from wine cork stopper distilleries. Filled with inspiration and new found knowledge, ZenTribe was born; a yoga mat made combined with repurposed materials and using sustainable practises to create a mat as unique as you are. 

From this:

At ZenTribe we are doing things differently by combining surplus cork granules and upcycled plastic leftovers from sport industries in our mats, actively reducing any additional landfill waste and plastic flooding our oceans.

To this:

Why Cork?

By using cork in our mats, we are reducing greenhouse gases by allowing the harvested corktrees to absorb 5 times more carbon from the air we breathe. Plus supporting the livelihoods of the cork harvesting communities within Portugal. Cork is a biodegradable, recyclable  and a renewable material. It also contains the magical benefits of antibacterial and self cleaning properties combating any odours from your hot yoga or pilates sessions.

OUR ETHOS:

At ZenTribe we believe that we all have the power to make a difference with every choice we make which is why we will be donating £5 to The Woodland Trust to plant trees from each purchase within the UK and we will be offsetting our carbon footprint for all our deliveries. 

Our mission is to reduce a negative impact on our planet & we believe this includes the journey of our reduction to you. 

For our packaging we will be using only FSC approved biodegradable packaging from the start of production through to delivery of our mat to your front door. Not only will you be supporting our planet you will also be treating yourself to a some much needed self care.

JOIN OUR TRIBE..

What’s our yoga mission..

Our yoga mission is to provide a yoga mat which is environmentally friendly and has a low impact on the earths resources. But also to be comfortable for you to use during your sessions both at home and in classes. Allowing you to focus on being present in each of your postures or the flow that you're in. This is why our mat is super lightweight and has a thickness of 5mm, 180cm in length and 69cm in width allowing for extra room for you to move on the mat.

OUR FUTURE

With your help and support , we will grow into a unstoppable sustainable business making a positive impact on the planet we all live on. 

For us to start we first need stock and  we plan to use some of the money raised to order 100 mats. These mats will fulfil all preorders made on here and the remaining mats will be used to sell on our yet to be launched website. We also plan to set aside some mats for our soft launch party when things have settled down after the chaos of Cvoid19. 

The remaining money will be spilt into being used to rent out a storage space to store all these great yoga mats! Along with branded recyclable packaging, to add a special and personalised touch. And adding some padded protection to your yoga mat when making its way to you.

Lastly remaining funds we be used to develop and grow our marketing, advertising and making our website.

We want to use our social media platforms and this platform to build a community of like minded individuals and small sustainable businesses who love yoga, our planet and want to make a positive difference within Cardiff and beyond. Would you like to be part of our tribe? Then pop by and say hi at our Instagram and Facebook page. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and I hope that you choose to support  in any way you can. Let’s come together and create a better future together. (Also giving free hugs when we beat our target!!!)

Namaste      

Kylie x

This project successfully funded on 4th July 2020