A board game can feel very different depending on what surface it is played on. Cards slide differently across different surfaces, dice make different noises, and even picking up a small wooden token can become either effortless or frustratingly fiddly. A kitchen or dining room table has been doing the job perfectly well for generations, but a soft, printed mat can make the same game feel rather more special. Neoprene has become increasingly common, bringing cushioning, durability and a little sense of luxury to the table. Yet a gaming mat's life begins long before it reaches your table, and it may not end until a long time after we stop using it. So in this article, I want to look at neoprene's environmental cost across its full lifecycle.
Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/10/06/pristine-neoprene-the-pros-and-cons-of-neoprene-topic-discussion/
Listen to the audio version here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5USpySizithzNfgz7BaR02?si=x3cY9T7EQ3m4zzGZV6MSQg
(Photo by Susan Flynn on Unsplash)
#boardgames #neoprene #sustainability #environment #recycling