Bamboo In Lifestyle For Societal Sustainability

India, with approximately 140 bamboo species, has a huge diversification in its bamboo varieties and ranks second globally after China. Bamboo, a tree like grass, is a natural raw material and has a very rapid growth rate.

The products obtained from bamboo are considered eco-friendly and are completely biodegradable. Bamboo can be used for different purposes such as in construction as a substitute for timber or steel, as alternative for plastics, as a raw material for the production of biofuels, in textile and paper making industries, etc. Not only this, bamboo can also be processed to make food and beverage items, for medicinal use, for the production of pesticides and also for making household items such as toothbrushes, soaps, etc. 

Bamboo as a raw material for construction

In the construction sector of India, bamboo has been in constant use for building mud houses and small huts in the rural areas for centuries. Bamboo is a highly durable material and possesses exceptional flexibility to be used as building material. Bamboo is light in weight, can easily be transported from one place to another, is cheap, environment friendly, easily and locally accessible in India. Thus, it can be readily used for flooring, roofing and reinforcement as an alternative to steel in buildings. Also, if we consider from a resilient construction perspective, the textile strength of bamboo is approximately 28000 PSI (per square inch) when compared to steel which is 23000 PSI. This makes bamboo fundamentally a better material for earthquake-prone areas.

Bamboo also finds use in laying foundations. For this bamboo poles are treated against fungus and rots and are thereafter driven into the soil directly. Bamboo has also been used as a potential raw material in the flooring industry. Various tests have shown that bamboo flooring stands one amongst the most popular covering and holds significant importance when a sustainable green design project is being developed. Bamboo possesses a high strength-to-weight ratio which also makes it a viable material for roofing.  Bamboo stems are extensively used in India for supporting pillars for giving a temporary support for decking.  Use of bamboo in construction processes can massively reduce timber consumption, thus minimizing deforestation. It can also help in diminishing the pollution caused by industries in steel production. However, there are health and safety concerns associated with handling of bamboo and gluing. The glue used for bamboo contains formaldehyde which is not only harmful for the environment but also for the people using it during the bamboo glueing process. 

Bamboo as a substitute for plastic

There is an increasing national and international pressure to quit plastics. The adverse effects of plastic waste have been affecting marine as well human health, beaches and landscapes are being littered, clogged waste streams and landfills and what not. Non-degradable, light-weight plastic garbage when discarded into the sea, rivers or near water bodies are ingested by the aquatic water bodies mistakenly for food, which eventually results in their death. Plastic production releases harmful toxics that may cause cancer and are highly flammable, whereas its recycling is associated with skin and respiratory illnesses. These outcomes have resulted into many countries introducing restrictions on plastic production and use. Globally, 130 countries have already implemented some kind of restrictions or ban on plastic use.

The fast-growing nature and the versatility possessed by bamboo can help mitigate plastic pollution. Bamboo can act as a source of not only providing disposable but also durable products that are low in carbon and at the same time are completely bio-degradable. 

Bamboo can be used to convert plastic toothbrushes into nature-friendly bamboo toothbrushes. The bristles that are used for making bamboo toothbrushes may be of nylon, boar and vegan bristles. In a similar manner, bamboo crockeries, kitchen utensils and dining wares are made using bamboo fibres crushed in machines and mixed with organic resins that act as binding agents in appropriate proportion and provide them with a desirable shape. However, moulded bamboo is considered an eco-friendly substitute for plastics only if it is free from melamine since the latter is considered as a toxic product. Needless to say, the theory is one thing and practice is another. Anything being green comes with a question, “is it sustainable”? The same goes with bamboo too, so is bamboo sustainable? A few things need to be considered for answering this question.

• Where are the products coming from, its location and its process of shipment? For example, a bamboo toothbrush is always a better option than a plastic toothbrush if both of them are being transported from China. But a locally made Chinese dinner plate is definitely going to have more sustainability than a bamboo plate shipped from China. Likewise, plastic containers are more likely to stay in our cupboards for a longer time. It may or may not be the condition for bamboo cups.
• The processing required in the making of product. Likewise the energy and water consumed in its production.
• Are there any nasty chemicals being used in the production?
• Is there any other raw material that is just as sustainable and eco-friendly?

So before importing any “eco-friendly” product we should consider being local in our humble contribution to SDGs and reduction in emissions. Single-use plastic products can be replaced with bamboo products and the use of bamboo packaging with big food delivery brands should be promoted. With appropriate government policies, bamboo can prove to be a very resourceful material in combating the negative impacts of soil erosion, mitigating climate change, conserving biodiversity and promoting sustainable construction development.