The Bamboo Story

1. Strength

Bamboo is remarkably strong; engineers have found it is even stronger than steel. According to Engineering Discoveries (2022), the tensile strength of steel is 23,000 PSI, whereas the tensile strength of bamboo is 28,000 PSI. This means that bamboo is 6 times stronger than steel¹, it is even being used in construction reinforcement as it performs better than steel. 

Another source to support this is written by Hebel, a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). Hebel produced a material using bamboo, that in terms of tensile capacity, is better than steel. Hebel found that in terms of strength to weight, bamboo performs better than steel².

2. A great alternative

As a cheap and fast-grown resource, with superior physical and mechanical properties, bamboo offers great potential as an alternative to wood. Bamboo can widely substitute not only wood, but also the plastics & other materials. Bamboo based industry also has vast potential for generating income and employment, especially in the rural areas.

3. Fast growing & renewable

Bamboo is fast growing and naturally renewable. It requires little maintenance to farm as it does not require pesticides or herbicides to grow (even better for the environment). Bamboo produces more than 35% more oxygen than trees. Research in Japan and elsewhere has demonstrated that bamboo can absorb as much as 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare per year, giving the plant a potentially crucial role in stabilising our planet's atmosphere and reducing carbon emissions³.

The production of more bamboo would therefore undoubtedly help the environment. Also, bamboo can be harvested sustainably, new shoots appearing from the roots every year and growing to harvestable condition in just four or five years, far faster than slow-growing hardwoods⁴.

4. Biodegradable

Bamboo tees are biodegradable, meaning when they break and are disposed, they will not cause any lasting ecological damage – which is great for greenkeepers and their courses

5. Giant pandas

Supporting the use of bamboo will increase production of bamboo which will, in turn, help repopulate the giant panda. The giant panda was once widespread throughout southern and eastern China, as well as neighbouring Myanmar and northern Vietnam. But due to expanding human populations and development, the species is now restricted to around 20 isolated patches of bamboo forest in six mountain ranges in China's Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Since habitat loss is the most serious threat to the panda, establishing new reserves and extending existing ones are crucial to its survival.

After a significant increase in recent years, China now boasts a network of 67 panda reserves, which safeguard more than 66% of the giant pandas in the wild and almost 54% of their existing habitat⁶. The Chinese government, in partnership with WWF, has also developed bamboo corridors to link isolated pockets of forest, allowing the pandas within them to move to new areas, find more food and meet more potential breeding mates.

6. Eliminates single use plastics

Universally, we create a scary 300 million tons of plastic every year. And a shocking 9% of this is recycled or reused. This means that 91% of all plastic is only used once, and then ends up getting thrown away- and finding its way into our oceans or landfills. This is a huge amount which is why scientists predict that by 2050, there will be more plastic in our ocean than fish. The answer to this crisis is making better choices. A simple way you can make a difference is by switching to sustainable products and by saying no to single-use plastic and using bamboo instead

7. All natural

Bamboo fibres are naturally anti-bacterial without needing any toxic chemical treatments, all thanks to its substance called ‘bamboo kun’. Bamboo kun is found in bamboo fibre and is an antimicrobial bio-agent which gives bamboo its natural antibacterial properties. This prevents bacteria and microbes growing on bamboo products making it safe and hygienic to sell.

8. Great for communities

Bamboo is good for the community. Bamboo production and manufacturing sustains the traditional industry and creates new well-paying stables jobs for locals in areas that need social and economic stability. For example, at Bare Vida, all their products are all locally grown and handmade in Bali, giving straight back to Balinese locals⁷. They even use the unused bamboo shavings for fires.