Eco Yoga Mat - TPE

Turbo 930

A seller is claiming the use of TPE (Thermal Plastic Elastomer) in their Yoga Mat is "designed to decompose in landfills, leaving behind only water and biodegradable components. PVC-free and contains no lates or rubber of any kind and no toxic materials are used in its production". They make these additional claims:

Eco-friendly
No heavy metals

These claims leave the customer thinking the use of TPE is very "healthy" and reduces negative environmental impact.

Any readers have insight or input on the veracity or accuracy of these claims?

Thanks.

Greg Bernhardt

Is it common for yoga mats to contain heavy metals?

Moonbear

That's usually the deception in these sorts of product claims...the competing product doesn't have that stuff either, just nobody thinks it's necessary to tell the consumer all the things a product doesn't have in it.

This reminds me of a related thing. Our cafeteria is selling refillable plastic mugs labeled "Go Green." They have some stats on a card by them about how long it takes plastics to degrade in the "environment" (something like anywhere between 8 and 400 some odd years...not the exact numbers, but you get the gist), then says that these mugs will degrade in 5 years "in a properly managed landfill." So, that still has me wondering, if those other plastics were not just in the environment, but in a properly managed landfill, are these mugs really any different from them? Or, does that mean these mugs aren't going to last very long as a reusable item? Granted, they're better than the disposable styrofoam cups if you reuse them, but the phrasing of the claims regarding the plastic seems similar to the one in the OP, where it's just dodgy enough to make me think it might not be anything special at all.

mgb_phys

The iPhone claims it's display is arsenic free glass.
I suppose it could catch on - your local indoor pool could advertise as 'shark free'

Ivan Seeking

Our burgers are 100% dog-meat free!