********UPDATE from 26.11.21********We wrote our first statement on our cooperation with workplaces for people with disabilities on the 15th of March 2021. Recently there has been increased criticism, primarily of the workshops but also of companies/start-ups that work with the workplaces. We have hardly received any critical enquiries ourselves, but we have followed the debate […] weiterlesen
Author: Sophie Zepnik
hejhej’s impact report No. 1: how much waste did we save? how many children did we support in South Africa? and how many trees did we plant?
A sustainability report is not only for big companies but also for small companies to transparently report about its sustainability actions. Yet, we mostly know impact reports from big corporations, who use this report to present itself as the most sustainable company, reporting about all the little things they do. In reality, most of them […] weiterlesen
A yoga block made out of flip-flops
This yoga block looks like a little piece of art, don’t you think? It actually is a piece of art – it is a handmade yoga block out of flip-flops – flip-flops collected on the coasts of Kenya. We offer these yoga blocks as a special and limited edition. The organisation behind these yoga blocks […] weiterlesen
How does a sustainable production of a yoga mat work? A check list with 5 criteria.
Nowadays, quite a lot of companies claim to be sustainable. For example, one of the largest fast-fashion companies in the world recently promoted its sustainable products. So sadly, we can’t just trust companies anymore but we need to understand what it means to produce sustainable products. That’s why we want to explain to you how […] weiterlesen
Happy World Down Syndrome Day to all of you!
Today is the 21st of March and it’s World Down Syndrome Day. Today should be about thinking about each other, acting for the community and the individuals. World Down Syndrome Day now exists for 14 years. It was not coincidentally placed on the 21st of March. The number 21 symbolizes the characteristic of Down Syndrome […] weiterlesen
Yoga at home – a guide for a strengthening practice
We rush through our everyday life – both corporate and private. It’s full of appointments and we sometimes just forget to take some time in between for ourselves. Then there are suddenly times, where we are forced to stay home. Yoga is a great way to make the best out of it. A regular Yoga […] weiterlesen
Die erste recycelte Yogamatte – wir alle müssen uns verändern
Es war noch nie wichtiger über seine eigenen Kaufentscheidungen nachzudenken. Wir alle müssen unser Verhalten ändern, um unsere Planeten vor dem Kollaps zu schützen. Wir möchten die macht der Konsumenten und die Macht der Unternehmen vorstellen und zeigen, dass wir alle wirklich was bewirken können. Die erste recycelte Yogamatte ist unser Beitrag.
The Chakras – Yoga is more than just physical exercises
Chakras are another part of the ancient Indian knowledge about yoga. The word chakra from Sanskrit can be translated as wheel or disc. Chakras are centers of consciousness and life energy in the body, whereby the original teaching describes seven main energy centers. Of course, there are still many tributaries of the life force in your body, but these seven act as nodal points that concentrate and distribute the most.
A sustainable yoga mat bag – the hejhej-bag
Sustainability is simply inevitable. The circular economy is the most healthy way to consume and that is why we created the most sustainable yoga mat bag in a circular way.
Crowdfunding campaign hejhej-bag – why we do it again
Crowdfunding enables truly sustainable product innovation as society decides whether or not a new product will appear on the market. That’s why the hejhej-bag is only launched if the crowdfunding campaign is successful.
The ethical production of a yoga mat
The story of a hejhej-mat – an ethical production of yoga mats. We want to communicate really transparent about how our hejhej-mats are produced. We consciously decided to produce in Germany in order to act as socially and ethically as possible and in order to keep the transportation ways as short as possible.
Sustainable Valentine’s Day presents – ideas
There are many commercial holidays such as Valentine’s Day. Especially on days like this, it is important to consume consciously and show society that sustainability is our future. We show you ideas for a sustainable Valentine’s Day present with which you can make a statement.
Buy a yoga mat for 129€, is this a lot of money? Let’s compare it to your last buying decision
129€ is a lot of money. BUT we want to make you think about whether it is really a lot of money for a fully sustainable, high-quality yoga mat made in Germany? We want to encourage you to think about the products you buy and consume. Let’s all try to consume consciously and fair!
Sustainable Christmas gifts for yoga – conscious giving
Yoginis and yogis love meaningful and thoughtful presents. A lot of them are into the topic of sustainability since yoga is not only about mindfulness towards themselves but also about mindfulness towards the planet. We are sharing four of our favorite sustainable gifts for yoga in our recent blog article with you.
Sustainable Christmas Presents – Ideas for a Sustainable Christmas
6 tips on how to make this Christmas more sustainable. The Christmas mood slowly arrived in our life. It’s a wonderful time of the year but at the same time, we start to question all the ongoing consumerism. Sustainable Christmas Presents are a great and easy way to start doing this.
A premium yoga mat – connecting mindfulness towards yourself the planet?
In theory mindfulness towards yourself and towards the planet work really well together. BUT: Why do we yogis then practice yoga on a harmful plastic mat? Our sustainable and premium yoga mats enable other yogis to consume mindfully. Mindful consumption questions whether you really need a product since most of the products people buy are not really necessary.
Social yoga can offer support along a therapy
Yoga has beneficial features for your overall wellbeing. Did you know that social yoga can also be supportive for people suffering from mental illnesses? Yoga für alle e.v. is a great NGO that makes yoga available for people who would otherwise not have the chance to participate in yoga.
A circular yoga mat – why you should return it
A circular yoga mat only becomes fully closed-looped if you return it. So one of the most important success factors of the circular economy is the consumer because it is in the consumer’s power to return a product and to make it available for a new production. However, to achieve a sustainable circular product it is essential to be aware of the intention of reaching a more sustainable planet with the circular economy.
Social start-up – our cooperation with a workplaces for people with disabilities
hejhej-mats is not only about developing a yoga mat but also about becoming an environmentally friendly and social start-up. We wanted to work with a social organisation to sew the logos onto our sustainable yoga mats. That is why we cooperate with a workplace for people with disabilities. We would like to share our experiences with you and show you why this cooperation makes us so happy.
The variety of yoga
Yoga not only offers a variety of yoga styles but also various yoga poses and so many places where you can practice yoga. People are nowadays chasing through their life without resting. Yoga is just about yourself and your practice on your mat – so it is a great way of slowing life down. For us it is certainly part of our daily life and we want to share with you some of our favorite yoga poses, places and styles.
The best yoga mat requires a lot of effort
The product development of hejhej-mats always had the aim to develop the best yoga at the market. Now it is finished and our hejhej-mats will be launched soon. What we experienced is the most expensive sustainability criteria is to solely manufacture a product in Germany, which is why we have to raise our sales price from 119€ to 129€. However, we are happy and proud to offer you a fully sustainable yoga mat made in Germany.
A cool yoga mat through emotions in our corporate life
Emotions are mostly not perceived positively although they are so important both in our personal life as well when starting up a business. We want to show that it is good to be emotional and tell you more about our experiences during the development of our sustainable and cool yoga mat.
A successful crowdfunding campaign – our key learnings
A successful crowdfunding campaign can also be quite tricky and it requires a lot of work. As our crowdfunding campaign helped us a lot with the further actions of our business, we would like to give you some insights on what we learned from our campaign and share with you our 5 key findings for a successful crowdfunding campaign.
A sustainable lifestyle – you could start from here
The amount of plastic waste on our planet is higher than ever before. All of us should start living a more sustainable lifestyle. We want to show you that some things are so easy but still so meaningful to change.
Women in entrepreneurship – experiences and hopes
Unfortunately, we have to experience ourselves that there are very little women in entrepreneurship. And the women who start their own businesses face difficulties men do not.
Natural rubber yoga mats – we decided not to create them
The planet already has enough valuable resources in abundance. It is not necessary to use new natural materials like natural rubber to make new products like yoga mats. Natural rubber yoga mats are not really sustainable and we explain why.
Sustainable development goals – hejhejs contribution
hejhej-mats is making a contribution to the UN sustainable development goals. More specifically, to goal number 12. Read more about goal number 12 and how hejhej-mats contributes to achieving the goals.
The benefits of yoga and why you should try yoga now
The benefits of yoga are many. Yoga not only influences your body strength and flexibility positively, it is also beneficial for your mental strength. Read more about why everyone should try yoga at least once.
A closed-loop yoga mat – it’s time for a sustainable yoga mat
Seeking to achieve a sustainable planet that allows future generations to live a lifestyle similar to ours right now, we need to rethink waste as a resource. The current linear “take-make-dispose” approach is reaching the physical limits of the planet. A circular economy, with closed-loop products, such as a closed-loop yoga mat, can be one solution.
Sustainability – our inspiration and motivation
Sustainability is an integral part of our everyday lives. In our Master of Leadership for Sustainability in Sweden, we met a lot of inspiring people that all helped us foster our understanding of sustainability. In our sustainable start-up, we want to combine all three dimensions of sustainability: the economic, the ecological and the social. The concept of the circular economy holds the greatest sustainability potential for us.