Bamboo is best known as a decorative screen in the garden or as a sprout in the Asian restaurant. But the plant can do much more: It serves as a rapidly renewable raw material for everyday goods such as furniture, bicycles, bioplastics and even toothbrushes.
Bamboo is not a tree, but a grass. The diversity of varieties ranges from a few centimeters high grasses to 40 meters high “forests”. The stalks of industrially usable varieties lignify during growth and can thus be used as an alternative to tree wood. Many bamboo species grow extremely fast (up to a meter per day!) And can be harvested after just three to five years. The plant grows in tropical areas around the equator; the Main importing country is China.
Fast renewable resource for durable furniture, bicycles & Co.
Because bamboo grows extremely fast, large quantities can be felled annually without endangering the stock. Many species of bamboo have large root systems, from which grow new plants constantly. Therefore, by beating a bamboo stalk not the whole plant dies – as is the case with trees. The fast growth also means that bamboo can save a lot of CO2 compared to trees.
In cultivation hardly any fertilizers, pesticides or artificial irrigation methods are used as the plants are extremely resistant. The immediate impact of bamboo cultivation on the environment is therefore comparatively low.
The wood industry also raves about the material properties of bamboo: Because the wood is very hard and dense, robust, durable furniture and floor coverings made of bamboo can be made. At the same time, it is light and flexible and is also suitable, for example, as a building material, as a covering for electrical appliances and even as a bicycle frame.
How fair is bamboo?
Much of the bamboo sold in this country currently comes from plantations in China. The environmental and social standards are comparatively low there. But the bamboo cultivation is so far little industrialized, but (still) predominantly kleinbäuerlich. “At the moment, the structures are such that many farmers grow and harvest small amounts of bamboo themselves,” says Walter Scheufele, board member of the Bamboo Technology Network Europe association and bamboo expert. “Bamboo grows in China mainly in mountainous country, where it is usually beaten by hand and then picked up from the roadside and transported on.”
Scheufele predicts that Ethiopia could in the future run out of China as the world’s most important bamboo supplier: there, the plant is planted more to push back the spreading desert. With a positive social side effect: “Bamboo cultivation will create jobs there that did not exist before,” says Scheufele. He sees great potential in the combination of bamboo cultivation with various development projects.
Because the bamboo industry is still in its infancy in Europe, there are few stable trade relationships and hardly any certifications. In principle, the cultivation of bamboo for the environment and workers is far more compatible than the production of other delicate agricultural products such as coffee, bananas or cotton. But to make sure that no primary forests have been destroyed for the plantations, it makes sense to pay attention to sustainable cultivation and, in case of doubt, to look at the trader for production conditions. The FSC® seal is still very rare for bamboo products. In world shops, in GEPA and in the corresponding online shops, there is often a small selection of fair trade bamboo products.
Bamboo instead of petroleum and tropical wood
Is bamboo better than plastic? Yes, in a double sense: it is used both as a substitute for plastic and as a starting material for bioplastics. Unlike oil, from which plastic is normally made, bamboo is a renewable resource. The extraction is also much less risky than that of crude oil. And: Unlike most conventional plastics, bamboo is biodegradable.
Bioplastics are often derived from edible plants such as corn or sugarcane; production is thus in direct competition with food production. “There are about 1400 varieties of bamboo and depending on the desired application, you can use very different,” says Scheufele. Those varieties that are processed into plastic or wood substitutes are thus generally not used as food. However: Better than Bioplastics is still no plastic.
Is bamboo better than wood from tropical forests? Yes, because compared to tropical trees, which often have a very slow growth rate of 70 or 80 years, it grows much faster. The bamboo harvest does not endanger the sensitive ecosystem of the rainforest, which is an important habitat and CO2 storage.
Bamboo instead of a beech?
Whether bamboo as a wood substitute is “better” than native wood, we can not answer unequivocally according to the current state. Although it is inherently more sustainable than the wood of most trees due to its extremely fast growth, frequent harvest and high CO2 storage capacity.
However, the transport routes of bamboo to Europe are long and cause large amounts of harmful greenhouse gases. In addition, German forests are largely managed sustainably and therefore need less protection than tropical forests. Ultimately, one must wait for the further development of the still small market – until then “bamboo or wood?” Is above all a question of availability and taste.
We use plastic bottles, plastic, and food packaging almost every day, often as “disposable items”. Together with paper waste, plastic fibers and particles from clothing and cosmetics, plastic particles are released into the environment via waste disposal and sewage treatment plants. As a microplastic, it is distributed on our earth, for a long time undiscovered even in the expanse of the oceans. Ultimately, microplastics ends up in our bodies through the food chain and harms our health.
PLASTIC PREVENTION
Replacement of plastic with alternatives from renewable raw materials.For example bamboo instead of plastic, cork instead of plastic as well as wood or leather articles, as listed below. We help consumers to choose sustainable products for everyday use.
USE OF ALTERNATIVES
There are already alternatives to many articles made of plastic for everyday use. Such as toothbrushes,cotton swabs or wipes. which are made of renewable raw materials such as bamboo, cork or leather. Their use is the first meaningful step towards plastic and waste prevention for everyone.
And the use of sustainable products in everyday life gives us a good feeling. For example, the use of ” bamboo instead of plastic ” articles can also encourage friends and acquaintances to imitate and drive the concept of plastic saving and reduction of microplastics.
Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants. Some species reach a growth of about one meter daily. This means that sustainable bamboo produces an above-average amount of biomass and oxygen, more than any other plant on our planet.
Bamboo manages to reach a size of around 35 meters in only 6 months. The plant thus produces more usable wood than native trees such as the oak. In addition, bamboo has extreme stability and hardness. The reason for this is the enormous amount of silica.
In about 7 years, the plant hardens to its final hardness and is clearly harder than most conventional types of wood. The tensile strength is even higher than steel!
But how sustainable is bamboo and what benefits can we humans of the unique plant use?
Bamboo can grow (almost) everywhere
This unique plant grows and grows in a zone stretching from the 40th latitude in the south to the 40th latitude in the north of the equator. Thus, the bamboo is a tropical or subtropical plant, some of whose species but also in the colder area (for example, in the Himalayas) occur.
The plant is native to all continents except the Antarctic and Europe, but here with us, it can grow. There are around 1,400 bamboo species worldwide. In China alone, for example, about 500 species grow, in Japan, there are about 100 varieties, which are usually grown slightly smaller. The bamboo is usually cultivated only in Asia and Africa (especially Ethiopia).
In Australia and South America, where there are also some varieties, it has a rather low economic importance. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that bamboo came to Europe. The plant was imported from Japan and China, but can also grow here wonderfully.
The fact that the bamboo can grow almost everywhere and extremely fast naturally results in high sustainability of the material.
Fast growing raw material
Bamboo grows extremely fast (up to a meter per day), so a large amount of the plant can be felled annually without reducing the stock so that it would be at risk. This means that bamboo is a very sustainable resource.
Most bamboo species have large root systems. From these always new plants grow. Thus, by cutting a straw, not the entire plant dies, as with most other tree species.
Thanks to this rapid growth, bamboo also stores a lot of CO2, much more than our conventional trees. Even when planting the plant only a few pesticides or fertilizers are used because bamboo is considered extremely robust and resistant. The dense and widespread root systems halt erosion, another of the many reasons why bamboo is sustainable and good for the environment.
Even our wood industry raves about the raw material because the properties of the material are unique. The fact that bamboo wood is very dense, flexible and resistant, durable and robust products can be made.
Bamboo better than plastic?
Bamboo is better than plastic in any case.
The plant can serve as a substitute for plastic and is the starting material for the so-called bioplastics. Plastic is usually made from petroleum. In contrast, bamboo is a renewable resource.
The extraction of bamboo is also much less risky than is the case with crude oil. In addition, since bamboo is biodegradable again, there is another major advantage over most plastics.
Ecologically, bamboo also leaves its mark, because we have to import the raw material from Asia or Africa. However, if one considers what damage plastic and its production to the environment means, this import is in no comparison.
Bamboo in everyday life
Even in our everyday lives, bamboo is much more sustainable than plastic could ever be.
We already find clothes, toothbrushes, boxes, packaging material, etc. made of bamboo. With these products, sustainability already reaches our everyday lives without us always consciously remembering.
To produce as little garbage as possible, the so-called “Zero-waste” is in vogue. Not only environmentalists and vegans are pleased with this fact because more and more people are aware of the extent of waste and how we deal with our environment. Although this has always been clear to me, it has only recently set in the brain.
With everyday products made of bamboo, such as the toothbrush, the garbage burden of individual households can be reduced. Plastic garbage islands in the oceans and growing garbage piles on land are becoming ever more common. With these everyday bamboo products, the step in the right direction has been taken and people are also enjoying products that are usually much more durable and robust.
And, is bamboo sustainable?
Bamboo is sustainable, that’s for sure, because:
Bamboo grows very fast (up to one meter per day)
The bamboo plant does not die off when harvesting but grows again
Bamboo produces 35% more oxygen than conventional trees
The robustness and durability makes bamboo universally applicable
Bamboo is an infinite resource
Bamboo does not cause garbage but can be completely biodegraded
In our everyday life, bamboo is found in more and more products. The raw material is now versatile and already the environment enormous.
Even everyday products such as toothbrushes can benefit from the properties of the plant. The plant stands for sustainability, but also for robustness, endurance, and longevity.
Bamboo is simply as good as a panda!
By being completely biodegradable, bamboo protects our planet from conventional plastic. Due to the rapid growth of bamboo, we also need not worry about its occurrence or the stock. Even textiles, toilet paper, and many other everyday products are already made from bamboo and brought into individual households.
Bamboo is therefore in the truest sense sustainable and certainly the material of the future!
You can protect the environment right from your home, and decorate using the most eco-friendly and sustainable bamboo. Daily necessities like knife holder, tissue box, bamboo basket, toothpick, dish drainer, chopsticks, chopstick cage, cutting board, bamboo mat, coasters, bamboo products, curtains, etc. Bamboo crafts: bamboo leaves, bamboo weaves, bamboo root crafts, bamboo carving crafts, bamboo fans, etc. Furniture: bamboo and rattan furniture, bamboo sofa, bamboo wardrobe, bamboo computer desk, bamboo bookcase, bamboo shoe rack, bamboo shoe bench, bamboo office furniture, etc.
Construction materials: bamboo trays, bamboo lines, bamboo floors, etc.
Benefits of bamboo products
Bamboo has automatic adjustment and temperature maintenance, and it does not produce heat, and it is hot in the winter and cool in the summer.
The vision of health care. The bamboo texture is designed to absorb ultraviolet light, and the color is elegant, soft and warm, which is beneficial for human vision and can reduce the occurrence of myopia.
Bamboo itself has the function of acoustic absorption, sound insulation, lowering of sound pressure and shortening of residual time.
Curing Bamboo at high temperature completely destroys pathogens like aphids, bacteria, and mildew from it, that otherwise would cause asthma and allergies.
Bamboo is the same as human beings, and bamboo spinning regularly has irregularities. The natural color of the bamboo and the special texture are like the poet Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty. “It is better to eat without meat, not to live without bamboo”. Natural materials are a symbol of elegance and value. It has a natural aroma, a beautiful bamboo texture and also emits fresh and fragrant gas, which is good for physical and mental health.
Why bamboo
Billions of plastic items travel every year to our oceans and our dumps. It’s a big problem.
Small actions that we do every day like brushing your teeth, drinking with a straw, eating with forks and disposable plastic spoons can have a huge impact on our ecological system.
Did you know that on average, each person throws 4 plastic toothbrushes every year? And the world’s population uses 500 million straws a day?
It’s a lot of plastic that pollutes our planet unnecessarily.
Why not make a simple and affordable choice that can really make a tangible difference? Count on us! Our bamboo products are made from a highly renewable resource that is 100% biodegradable and antimicrobial.
Our bamboo is perfect for the toothbrushes that are normally found in bathrooms ( these places are full of germs! ) for our mouths.
Small actions, performed daily, can have a significant impact on our ecological system, making the future of our planet much brighter.
