With growing awareness and greater consumer interests in sustainable and environmentally friendly materials, the term “sustainable” has been used for a large range of products as an effective marketing strategy. Because there are many interpretations of sustainability, products are not necessarily sustainable. This also can also apply to bamboo products.
Below I listed a few products and production processes that evaluate the sustainability of bamboo value chains, but also provide solutions.
Bamboo Straw Production
Bamboo straws can be used as plastic straw replacement, they are not necessarily bacteria resistant, but provide a valuable income opportunity. Learn about an entire environmentally friendly and local production process here.
Targeting bamboo in European’s established timber markets
European consumers are adjusted to timber characteristics, the way timber is advertised and has been used for centuries. This also applies to manufacturers who are less familiar with bamboo processing. For bamboo to enter the established timber regime, I analyzed existing consumer and manufacturing demands on bamboo in comparison to timber in Germany as part of my Master’s thesis here. Please access it here . I hope it helps to target your bamboo product in the best way possible.
Bamboo a green building material and trade opportunity for Europe and Indonesia
Bamboo can play a crucial role for the European Green Deal, while also encouraging sustainable development between bamboo consumer and producer countries such as Indonesia. This paper looks at bamboo as a circular building opportunity, by identifying opportunities and barriers for its integration in the European market with a sustainability perspective. Opportunities relate to an increasing demand for bamboo as building material in Europe and Indonesia. Its mechanical features turn it into a suitable alternative to steel and other construction materials. Barriers relate to underdeveloped value chains, unclear regulations for the utilisation of bamboo and bamboos’ confusing classification as Non-Timber Forest Products in Indoensia. This makes its management, processing, legal sourcing and trade difficult.
Bamboos’ fit in the construction industry – A micro material comparison
Europe and many other regions of the world are faced by growing resource scarcity and an increasing need to transition towards a more sustainable construction industry. However, many buildings are built using the same conventional materials and new materials would need to move away from the existing material lock-in. I compared current building materials with new bamboo innovations that could be used as sustainable building alternative now and in the future.
A critical view on bamboo textile
Is bamboo textile truly as sustainable and what does sustainability in bamboo textile even mean? Look here and learn about existing challenges in the bamboo textile industry and the opportunity of bamboo of bamboo textile as cotton and timber replacement here.
AnnJoest 