OEN Member Profile - Stephanie Stano of Recycle Your Mat 

Since early 2008, Recycle Your Mat has been providing socially responsible yoga mat recycling, upcycling and reuse services for yoga practitioners and yoga studios. Our easy-to-use used mat collection framework facilitates yoga mat collection services across North America and Europe. Our services support manufacturers by providing recycled materials for new product production.  

According to a 2008 Yoga Journal study, more than $5.7B was spent on yoga supplies, including yoga mats in 2008, an 87% increase from 2004. “I started Recycle Your Mat because I had an old mat in my closet and there didn’t seem to be a clear way to reuse it” said Stephanie Stano, Recycle Your Mat Founder & CEO. “At the same time I started thinking about all the people in various yoga classes and wondered what they were all doing with their used mats they no longer needed or used.

I wanted to give yoga practitioners options for mat disposal beyond tossing it in the trash or reusing it at home. By utilizing Recycle Your Mat’s network of yoga studios or by sending their yoga mat to Recycle Your Mat directly, yoga practitioners can feel good knowing their mat won’t end up in the landfill, but instead in new products or donated responsibly.”

Profile O&A 

Q. How are you involved in the entrepreneurial community and how has it helped shape your business?
A. During the winter I attend the local SmartUps events. I also take advantage of review panels and individual feedback from local entrepreneur supporters.

Q. How does OEN assist you/how are you specifically benefiting from the organization?
A. Attending OEN’s premier annual event, Angel Oregon, was a great way to introduce Recycle Your Mat to investors and other entrepreneurs. OEN also asks the hard questions of entrepreneurs, pushing us to think about all aspects of our business, our pros and more importantly our cons.

Q. What are your favorite websites/magazines/events/ organizations that you read/attend to keep yourself informed about the business community/your specific market? 
A. Most people are surprised to find out how much I know about the science of plastics and recycling. My three-legged stool encompasses yoga, science and business. One day I’ll be speaking with the American Roofing Contractors Association about how their industry uses recycled polymers, the next day I’m doing yoga with Rodney Yee and later that same day I’ll be developing a business partnership with an international yoga organization.

My top ten resources are and have been:
Green Yoga Association
Natural Marketing Institute
American Chemical Society
Plastics News
National Recycling Coalition
The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers
Waste Age
Plastics Recycling Network
Oregon Association of Recyclers
Yoga Alliance

Q. Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
A. The day you start your business is the day you should be ready to walk away from it. Keep in mind your company is not you, or who you are, or a reflection of your self worth. Stay flexible, you never know what a business opportunity could be, or what form it may take.

Think beyond your business. I never would have guessed that within a year of Recycle Your Mat taking root, I would have helped inspire and develop similar programs internationally. I also am pleased that mat manufacturers are asking my opinion about sustainable design – how to design a product for end of life recycling, upcycling or reuse. These are two things I didn’t expect, yet they have given me greater purpose beyond the bottom line and beyond my own company.
A woman who started a company in her basement and sold it within two years for a large sum of money and position at the company, said something to the point of "many of us have really great ideas that could yield great success, few take action."  That statement keeps me motivated because it drives home how gutsy it is to put oneself and your idea out in the marketplace.