Bamboo and Its Many Uses

Have you noticed how everything is made of bamboo these days? Gardening tool handles, glove fabric, harvest baskets, vegetable brushes… and that’s just to name a few things that concern the gardener! Toothbrushes, hair accessories, furniture and even my husband’s underwear are made of bamboo!

Several questions came to mind in connection with this fashionable material: why bamboo? How can “wood” become a fabric? Can bamboo be grown where I live in Quebec? Is it really ecological? And what about pandas?

A Question of Species

First of all, I want you to remove this image from your brain:

Now that’s not a bamboo! Even though it’s called “lucky bamboo” and looks like one, you should know that this widespread houseplant is actually a Dracaena.

Let’s continue:

There are many different kinds of bamboo: I guess I’m not telling you anything, dear gardeners! We’re talking about 1,200 species. Of course, they’re not all used in the same way: there’s ornamental bamboo, edible bamboo, bamboo that grows a meter a day, small bamboo, big bamboo…

Since it’s a grass, just like lawns and wheat, it’s quite surprising to learn that some reach 30 meters (98 feet) in height… or 30 centimeters (12 inches) in diameter! And yet, it’s a grass, not a tree! There’s no vascular system with cambium and all that in bamboo. Well, I might say “trunk” or “wood” during the article, but that’s just so we understand each other, right? Because no matter what you say, it still looks a lot like a tree!

Panda and Bamboo

I won’t go into the details of which species is used for what purpose, but you should know that pandas don’t eat the varieties grown for textiles or those used for construction (which avoids conflicts when you think that the panda eats nearly 20 kg of bamboo a day!)

However, forests in the giant panda’s range are being cleared and replaced by crops of this bamboo, which is inedible for this endangered bear. As a result, its habitat is reduced and less food is available. What’s more, bamboo is highly invasive and tends to overgrow plantations, further eroding the giant panda’s habitat.

Bamboo is generally native to Asia, but since it’s not fussy, it thrives just about anywhere on the planet… except Quebec, of course! The hardiest species survive down to around -10°C (-14°F). But it can be grown just as well in places other than the habitat of the environmental protection mascot!

Bamboo Groves Are Very Environmentally Friendly!

Thanks to the diversity of species, on several continents there are producers of young shoots for our food, producers for construction “wood”, and others for textiles. It’s a good thing to have a local option (or one that’s not too far away) when you’re concerned about your ecological footprint, because Asia isn’t next door, and transport is very polluting.

Bamboo has no dormant period: it grows all year round, ensuring constant production. The species we use reach adult size very quickly, in just a few months, and are virtually self-sufficient in terms of water consumption. Bamboos require no fertilizers or pesticides. Oh, and did I mention that they purify the air three to four times more than hardwoods? We’ve seen more polluting crops!

But if it’s a near-perfect crop, what’s the problem? Well, as with many things, it’s at the moment of transformation that things can go wrong…

Rayon, Viscose… Same Thing?

In the case of fabrics, it’s important to read the label to find out if your dishcloth is really eco-friendly. The first thing to look for is the name of the material. If it says “bamboo rayon”, great! The plant’s fibers have been processed in the most environmentally friendly way.

If it’s written in bamboo viscose, the plant has been exposed to a number of chemicals to make it easier to work. At this point, it’s a little closer to an unnatural fiber, and has lost bamboo’s antibacterial and ultra-absorbent properties. For a good dishcloth, we’ll have to think again!

Granted, it’s not polyester either, but it’s still a less environmentally-friendly material than rayon, which is less processed.

The second thing to look at is the percentage: 10% bamboo doesn’t really qualify as an ultra-ecological fabric. Aim for 80 or 90% if you choose a bamboo product with the aim of helping nature.

Building Timber

When it comes to the “wood” we use to make furniture, homes and even scaffolding, bamboo is generally a good alternative. It’s stronger than “real” wood, and has been compared to iron! However, these very strong varieties are only produced in Asia and South America, making transport to the North very costly in terms of the carbon released into the atmosphere.

If we’re talking about utensils, toothbrushes or straws, they can be produced less far away geographically and, if they still have to be imported (since bamboo can’t be grown in Quebec), their 100% biodegradable nature is not negligible.

The Big Advantage of Bamboo Is Its Afterlife. Will You Turn It Into an Angel or a Demon?

Please note: for these bamboo tools to be REALLY ecologically perfect, they MUST be composted. If you put them in the garbage can, they end up in landfill sites and, like any waste that decomposes when deprived of oxygen, they will produce methane as they decompose.

“Yes, and?”

Methane is 28 to 200 times more polluting than CO2 (scientists disagree). Recycle and compost: it’s THE way to go green in your daily life.

“My grandparents never composted…”

Well, look where we are! Especially since your grandparents consumed a lot less than we do today. There were also a billion fewer people on the planet. I know, I know… What difference does it make that YOU recycle, while the big companies… Hey, can we stop looking for the worst and focus on the positive? On what WE can do?

Sorry about that… In short, if you want to go green with your little bamboo objects, it’s not just at the point of purchase, but also at the end of their life.

In a Nutshell…

Bamboo is definitely an eco-friendly alternative to many materials, but nothing is perfect! Companies sometimes do a lot of marketing around their supposedly eco-friendly products, but beware! Just because they say so doesn’t mean their products are really friends of the planet. Here are a few things to watch out for:

1. If the price is too good to be true, there’s probably a whale under the gravel! Poor-quality bamboo, cut too young, mixed with other materials, chemically treated, etc., is NOT a good option. This is NOT a good option. Ecological products are (unfortunately) a little more expensive than others.
2. Read the labels. Even if it’s expensive, it doesn’t mean it’s environmentally friendly!
3. Look for products that are as local as possible. If it’s written in Chinese on the label, importing has cost the planet a lot of money!

At the end of your product’s useful life, you need to dispose of it properly. What’s the point of buying a compostable product… if you don’t compost it? In my opinion, this is the most important point in this article, and it’s here that the “ecological material” aspect comes into its own for utensils, toothbrushes and the like.