While developing our porTable we were faced with the question whether to use fsc certified wood or bamboo. It was quite that we wanted the most sustainable option – and ventured into researching if bamboo is as eco friendly as its reputation …
The lifecycle of commercially used bamboo.
Bamboo grows significantly faster than timber trees, while providing similar or better strength and durability. Their fast growth enables to harvest them after only about 5 years (compare that to an average of 40 to 80 years for other commercially used wood). These short cycles enable bamboo farmers to grow and harvest more often and thus to produce more material on a given area, compared to timber plantations. When harvested, the root remains in the soil and produces new offsprings without the need to replant. Another plus: it requires less water and no insecticides or pesticides to thrive.
How does bamboo rank in the CO2/oxygen competition?
When looking at sustainable and eco-friendly aspects, all plants must brace themselves for the comparison of their photosynthetic capabilities. And bamboo shows off with some impressive values: 35 to 40 % more oxygen production and up to four times as much CO2 absorption, compared to plants of a similar size.
The impact of production
So, up to its harvest bamboo gets some sustainability bonus points. But what about processing it into a product? This is where the raw material takes different routes, where less processing leads to a smaller ecological impact. Furniture, flooring, and other bamboo products that require only few production steps and a minimum of additional materials (e.g. screws and varnish) have a relatively low impact. When it comes to textile, bamboo fibre and dishes that are a compound of bamboo fibre and resins, you should take a closer look at the production process and chemicals involved to get an idea of how eco-friendly (or not) the items in question have been produced.
The impact of transport
Bamboo grows naturally in areas around the equator and gets into other parts of the world on sea, air, or land routes. To support sustainability, we need to consider this when sourcing bamboo products. Providers like carboncare.org enable us to find out more about the emissions we cause and offer ways to compensate for our impact on the environment.
The human aspect
We feel that sustainability must include the human aspect, in the short and long term. This means that we want to support businesses that care about acceptable social standards now and with the future in mind, following the concept that happier, healthier people build happier, healthier communities. When choosing our partners, we look for their work ethics and how they execute them, e.g. by working with certifying initiatives like BSCI or Fair Trade.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Compared to the alternative timber, bamboo plantations need less water, and usually no fertilizer or pesticides, as well as less space to grow an equal amount of raw material. Its durability grants bamboo furniture a long lifespan while it can be used daily, intensively. And should it come to an end, there are many recycling options for this natural material – build something else out of it, heat your oven with it or even put it on your compost or use it to mulch your garden.
Criteria met!
Bamboo is currently one of the most sustainable options, if the manufacturing process is free of the intense use of chemicals or unethical work standards and transport is arranged in a way that carbon emissions are kept low, and the offset is taken care of.
